Tourism

Brunei Darussalam is looking to target faith-based tourism by seeking to share the Sultanate’s Islamic culture and heritage with a wider audience in the Muslim world and beyond.

With the South-east Asian medical tourism market rapidly expanding, Malaysia is working to capture a larger share, with industry's designation as a national key economic area (NKEA) central to this effort. The government hopes these measures will help boost health tourist arrivals from the 2010 total of 400,000, which generated revenues of $101.65m.

There are signs that Egypt’s tourism industry may be set to recover far more quickly than expected from the two months of political turmoil and protests that brought the country’s economy to a near standstill. Visitor numbers are starting to climb, although any rebound will of course be dependent on a prolonged period of stability.

The state government of Sabah is taking the long view when it comes to expanding its tourism industry, placing limits on the number of visitors to pristine natural areas, not only for environmental but also economic reasons.

Indonesia plans to promote its natural and cultural attractions in order to reach its target of 7.6m tourist arrivals in 2011, with an emphasis on “eco-cultural” sights and activities. These are expected to attract well-heeled visitors who spend more and have less of an impact on the environment.

Sharjah is positioning itself as a safe, family-friendly option for holidaymakers, with a selection of attractions and events the authorities hope will make it stand out from the crowd.