Political Economy of Tourism: A Case Study of Golden Ring Countries

Abstract

countries. It explores tourism policies of "Golden Ring Countries" and examines the influence of these policies on their economic development. Tourism policy of the following golden ring countries has been studied: China, Pakistan, Russia, Turkey and Iran. Tourism as an industry rapidly mushroomed and became a key player in economic development across the globe. Increasing tourism flows can offer favorable economic results to countries, by directly increasing Gross National Product (GDP) and employment. This implies that tourism acts as a catalyst for economic growth. The study of tourism can significantly benefit from a political economy approach. Political economy reflects the political dimension of policy-making and how political scenario influences societal choices. The study adopted a qualitative approach in which available literature have been studied to reach a conclusion. Various government documents, reports of different organizations have been studied to reach a conclusion. The findings of the study illustrate that economic growth is significantly driven by tourism. Another finding is that revenue generated from tourism leads to economic growth. This study recommends that legislators should concentrate on policies that focus on promoting tourism because of its huge potential across the region.