Perception of Arabic Countries as Tourist Destination by Solo Female Travelers

The present study is aimed to determine the perception of the countries of the Middle East and North Africa among a specific audience of tourists as solo-female travelers and factors that have an impact on their attitude towards Arabic culture. In conjunction with three main paradigms as ethnocentrism, universalism, relativism and Theory of Point of View, the study explains which stereotypes and images about Arabic countries are represented in the minds of different groups of tourists. A content analysis of traveler reviews on the topic of the Middle East identified the markers based on which the attitude towards the country is formed. A correlation study and in-depth interviews were used to define the impact of integration into Arabic culture and investigate motivational factors of why women travel to such countries solo. The results of this study emphasize that personal experience has a big influence on the attitude towards oriental culture. Solo-female travelers have a unique point of view and perceive Arabic countries as an integral part of the global world and do not believe in the stereotypes, by contrast to those tourists who have never been to the East or traveled with companies for entertainment rather than immersion into culture.