ARAB TOURISM IS DYING AND THEY BLAME... THE MEDIA

Jordan’s tourism sector loses $1 billion in 2011 

BY Musa A Keilani June 01, 2012  

AMMAN: Jordan’s tourism sector lost around 700 million  dinars ($1 billion) in potential revenue last year as a result of a “negative” image propagated by foreign media, according to government ministers.

ACCORDING TO THE ARABS, IT'S NOT THE ISLAMO-NAZIS; IT'S THE MEDIA.

MORE FACTS:

It's been 18 months since the Arab Spring swept through the Middle East and while some nations have emerged with a renewed spirit, others have plunged into daily violence. 

The wave of protests that galvanized many in the region resulted in a sharp drop in tourism to countries at the center of the turmoil. Vital to the economy of nations like Tunisia and Egypt, tourist numbers plummeted by up to one-third at a loss of billions of dollars. 

According to the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), international tourist arrivals in the Middle East declined by 8.4 percent to 54.8 million in 2011 after growing nearly 15 percent the year before. The numbers would have fallen even further if "safe" destinations like the United Arab Emirates hadn't snatched up the diverted tourists. 

... Tourism, one of Egypt's largest industries, plummeted in 2011 by more than one-third over the previous year. 

IT'S THE JIHAD, STUPID!