The first issue of Islamic Tourism magazine sees the publication embrace German in addition to the other languages in its multi-lingual editions: English/Arabic, French/Arabic and Spanish/Arabic. The publisher Mr A. S. Shakiry explains how the experiences of 50 years of travels in Germany remained deeply engrained in his memory and prompted him to publish a German/Arabic edition of Islamic Tourism. Mr Shakiry also discusses the phenomenon of long-stay tourism and the construction of holiday villages and advises Muslim and Arab states to encourage this form of tourism to their advantage.
Johannes Bardong presents a comprehensive overview of relations between Germany and the Islamic world focusing on institutions devoted to Islamic studies and the German media which is attempting to build bridges of understanding between the two cultures. He quotes one of Germany’s most famous men of letters, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, who said : “He who knows himself and others cannot ignore the fact that Orient and Occident are inseparable.â€Â
Dr Ala Al-Hamarneh points out that Germany is attracting more and more Arab medical tourists. The development can be seen as part of a general improvement of the economic and political relationship between Germany and Arab countries. The image of Germany was further enhanced due to its anti-war policy during the last Iraqi crises.
The focus in the Europe section of this issue is not just on Germany. Dominick and Susan Merle visited Italy with Cantalupo Tours. The tour leader and program director, Michael San Filippo, a 40-something New Yorker is passionately intent on improving the image of southern Italy and Sicily which is traditionally regarded as a stepping stone to the nearby attractions of Pompeii, Capri and the Amalfi Coast.
Mr Shakiry describes the Czech Resort Of Karlovy Vary: a health spa par excellence and a cultural centre famous for music and sports festivals.
For Jordan’s tour operators its business as usual despite the recent, tragic hotel bombings. Ian Stalker interviews Wendy Botham’s whose firm has been sending clients through Jordan’s Wadi Rum region on four-wheel-drive expeditions for well over a 1,001 Arabian nights, enabling them to see a lunar-like landscape.
Damascus and its Umayyad Mosque have been synonymous. For hundreds of years, this great house of worship, has been the city's most magnificent historic building - its emblem par excellence. Habeeb Salloum traces the history of the mosque and describes its splendor.
Qom is a unique holy city, one of the most famous religious sites in the Muslim world. But above all it makes all Muslims welcome regardless of the troubled history of the countries from which they have come. Religious tourism has succeeded, where politics have failed, to unite the Muslim Ummah and turn the Prophet's saying that every Muslim is a Muslims' brother into a living reality. Walid Abdul-Amir Alwan traces the rich history of Qom, Iran’s publishing centre and comments on the religious sites and attractions: Fatema’s mausoleum and museum, mosques (Al Tabatabai, Balasir, The Large Mosque and Jamkaran), religious schools including Al-Faydiyah and the famous Al-Marashi Al-Najafi library with more than two million books.
Our Asian feature deals with Penang in Malaysia. Derick McGroarty explores the sites and travels 720 metres up Penang Hill by funicular railway to the breathtaking Kek Lok Si, a complex of temples perched on the hillside. At ground level the Botanic Gardens, started in 1884, are a place of peace and beauty with magnificent specimen trees, a lily pond and orchid houses. Monkeys run free, totally ignoring visitors.
Islamic Tourism had a stand at the World Travel Market. Muslim and Arab countries are upgrading their participation in this international four-day exhibition held annually in London in mid-November. This year a total of 5,194 national tourist offices, industry organisations, tour operators, hotels, cruise liners, airlines and technology companies from 202 countries took part, including 126 new exhibitors among them Kyrgyzstan, Etihad Airways, Kuwait, Oasis Adventures, Port Ghalib, Agadir, Pyramids Golf and Saudi Arabian Airlines. Mounir El Fishawy represented the magazine at a conference on Islamic Tourism in Egypt. We also report on the first tourism exhibition held under the auspices of the Organisation of Islamic Conference, The Madi Travel Mart in the Czech Republic and the Third Arabian Tourism Bursa held in Syria. Nour-eddine Saoudi reports from the 3rd Moroccan National Tourist Conference which showed that the Moroccan tourism sector is in fine form with good future prospects despite some failures. Islamic Tourism’s participation in international tourism exhibitions is discussed by the Editor-in-Chief Dr A.R. Hassan. He points out that ITM is the only magazine focusing on the Muslim world which has made its presence felt at large and small tourism exhibitions throughout the world. Its stand has promoted the cultural face of Islam from China to Mexico.
Islamic Tourism is a magazine published in English, French, Spanish, German and Arabic. Its website (www.islamictourism.com) publishes two weekly news bulletins in the five languages. You can browse the news free of charge and read past issues of the magazine. Your comments are always welcome and will be gratefully received. The magazine has received a number of awards including an award from the 4th Exhibition of Hajj and Umrah, the 7th Int’l Travel and Tourism Expo in Kuwait as well as a shield from Abha in Saudi Arabia, presented by Prince Khalid Bin Faisal, the Emir of Asser and an award from KITF 2004 in Kazakhistan.. |