Air route development and transit tourism in the Middle East

Abstract

Air route development is a key industry process and, in many respects, is related to transit tourism. The growing interest in the relationship between air transport and tourism is, in general, also supported in the academic literature where the number of publications on this topic has tripled between 2000– 2014 (Spasojevic, Lohmann, & Scott 2018). Air route development involves not only the development and maintenance of routes, but also, on a strategic level, the opportunity to exploit gateway or transit tourism opportunities. Previous studies (Lohmann, Albers, Koch, & Pavlovich 2009; Warnock- Smith & O’Connell 2011; Zhang & Findlay 2014) have identified the Middle East and Southeast Asia as places that have successfully exploited transit air transport tourism opportunities. Transit air transport tourism development parallels the transformation of airports from transportation hubs to tourist destinations. This transformation has only been possible through well- orchestrated stakeholder engagement exercises. According to Chen and Lee (2012), the successful transformation from an air hub to a tourism destination depends on the following four key elements: improved international airport terminal facilities; aviation market liberalisation; improved aviation competitiveness; and effective tourism marketing. Lohmann et al. (2009) compare two successful examples: Singapore and Dubai. In both cases, the geographical location of the hub was an attractive factor for further integration of government policy, destination marketing organisations (DMOs), airports and airlines, who foresaw the benefits of transforming these air transport hubs into world- leading tourism destinations. In both cases, the close stakeholder collaboration amongst airlines, airport, DMOs, and other aviation- related companies is controlled by government agencies. Led by these successful examples, other countries and regions are exploring the potential benefits of closer collaboration between air transport and tourism to foster transit tourism. For example, Taiwan, whose location makes it a desirable potential air hub for East Asia, has recognised the opportunity for transformation into a leading tourist transport centre.