Leisure travel and tourism has steadily grown over the last half century as the result of higher income, more spare time and advancement in transport technology. As travel to other places becomes easier and cheaper, more ordinary people can afford to visit foreign countries for pleasure and relaxation. The purpose of this paper is to analyze strategy that Middle Eastern countries adopt to attract tourists, in general, and leisure tourists, in particular. It describes the state of tourism in the region, its top tourist destinations, and how countries compete for travel and tourism market share. It explores the political-ideological divide in the region to explain why some countries, despite their recognized resources as tourist destinations, fail to capitalize on their potentials to attract tourists, while others have succeeded in attracting a significant number of tourists by making holiday and leisure travels easier and more enjoyable. The paper discusses conservative and pragmatic strategy in the region tourism industry, and concludes that pragmatism and moderation is in the national interests, not only in protecting economic interests, but also preserving cultural values.

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