Beaches Ruins Resorts

Despite being viewed as a dangerous region to visit, leisure travel across the Middle East has thrived even in the post-9/11 era. In Beaches, Ruins, Resorts, Waleed Hazbun investigates this overlooked industry to show how tourism is shaping the economic development and international relations of the region in dramatic ways. Hazbun tells the new and surprising story of how the draw of glittering beaches, luxury hotels and resorts, and sightseeing at ancient ruins impact the Arab world--promoting both economic globalization and political authoritarianism.

Localities, countries, and regions develop through complex interactions with others. This striking volume highlights global interconnectedness seen through the prism of the Middle East, both “global-in” and “global-out.” It delves into the region’s scientific, artistic, economic, political, religious, and intellectual formations and traces how they have taken shape through a dynamic set of encounters and exchanges. Written in short and accessible essays by prominent experts on the region, Global Middle East covers topics including God, Rumi, food, film, fashion, music, sports, science, and the flow of people, goods, and ideas. The text explores social and political movements from human rights, Salafism, and cosmopolitanism to radicalism and revolutions. Using the insights of global studies, students will glean new perspectives about the region.

When tourists travel, they often seek the exotic. The farther they venture, the more unique the cultures they gaze upon, the greater the prestige accrued; cross-cultural contact is commonplace. Yet despite the obviously transnational character of the tourist experience, national borders define existing studies of tourism. Spanish, French, or German tourism is treated almost in isolation and there are only hints of a larger transnational impetus behind the creation of national tourism products. This volume tells a different story. Although modern tourism first evolved in Europe changes were never confined to national borders. The Grand Tour, the birthplace of modern tourism, was consummately transnational in both its execution and its influence. Although seaside resorts originated in Britain, the aesthetic and scientific ideas that made beaches desirable emerged through conversation among Dutch painters, English travellers, and both British and Continental scientists and philosophers. When travel was finally available to the masses, Irish tourism advocates looked to England, Continental Europe, and America for ideas. The Nazi leisure organization, Strength through Joy (KdF), was based on an earlier Italian model, the Dopolavoro. World's Fair promoters raided previous fairs in other countries for ideas. European-wide demand and taste helped shape nudist practice in France and beyond. At every turn, practices and products developed because tourism lent itself to trans-national discourse. The contributors examine a wide range of topics that together make a powerful argument for the adoption of a new transnational model for understanding modern tourism. An essential addition to the library of academics studying the history of tourism, popular culture and leisure in Europe, the book will also provide interest to scholars of transnational topics, including Europeanization and globalization.

Today’s environmental problems—climate change, loss of biodiversity, polluted air, land, and water—all have their origins to a greater or lesser extent in how we have lived, played and worked. At a time when societies are confronted with the often dramatic consequences of past choices made in the fields of energy, technology, industry, agriculture, urbanisation and consumption, we need a history that casts more light on the ways in which unsustainable human-nature relationships came into being. This means forging stronger connections between social and environmental history. Common Ground opens up a dialogue between two sub-disciplines that to date have remained largely parallel endeavours, bringing together both established and younger scholars from both fields to explore how people’s everyday lives have connected to their environments—and with what effects. The book is organised in six sections: leisure and environment; nature and conservation; environmental conflicts; folk and scientific knowledge; environmental disasters; and energy, industry and urban infrastructure. By exploring the complex interplay between people’s day-to-day activities and ecological change, especially the values, beliefs and environmental experiences of ordinary men and women, we can better understand our past relationships with nature and perhaps make more informed planning and policy choices in the future.

Want to relax and bask on sun-drenched beaches or dive in and enjoy great water sports? Drink in Mexico's rich history and heritage or drink up margaritas? Shop for Huichol art, Oaxacan textiles, Taxco silver, or precious gemstones or explore an eco-park? Explore the pyramids and ancient ruins or tee up for world-class golf? Stay in an incredible luxury resort or a handcrafted casa in a remote village? With information on the top beach resorts in Cancun, Cozumel and the Riviera Maya, Puerto Vallarta, Acapulco, Los Cabos and Southern Baja, and more, this friendly guide gives you all kinds of ideas and options, plus information on: The best beaches, most romantic getaways, best bets for families, and hottest night life The desert caves of Los Cabos, the Caribbean reefs off Cancún and Cozumel, and more Sea kayaking, sportfishing, surfing, snorkeling, scuba diving, and more Ixtapa with its high-class hotels and Zihuatanejo with its small-town charm Where to enjoy authentic Mexican foods such as beef filet tacos, pozole, mango éclairs, poc chuc, and more Like every For Dummies travel guide, Mexico's Beach Resorts For Dummies, 3rd Edition includes: Down-to-earth trip-planning advice What you shouldn’t miss — and what you can skip The best accommodations and restaurants for every budget Handy Post-it Flags to mark your favorite pages

The spectacular coastline of Mexico’s Yucatán peninsula is a diverse playground where you can bask on pristine beaches, explore ancient ruins, play golf or tennis, go biking, snorkeling or scuba diving, do serious shopping, or escape to a secluded lagoon. With info on Cancun, Isla Mujeres, Cozumel, Playa del Carmen and the Riviera Maya, plus the nearby ruins, this friendly guide gives you the low down on: Everything from unique spa experiences to nature preserves and ecoparks Accommodations ranging from a luxury resort where guests can dabble in a Viking-clad kitchen or where rooms spread out through the jungle to a European-style inn that offers Spanish lessons or a peaceful beachside palapa (thatch-roofed) inn All kinds of dining options, including fresh seafood, regional specialties such as pork pibil, papadzules, and poc chuc, or Thai, Argentinean, or Italian cuisine Diving into the clear depths of the Yucatán cenotes (natural wells) Birding at Isla Contoy, with more than 70 species of birds as well as a host of marine and animal life The Panoramic Tower on Isla Mujeres. where you get a stunning view of the island and Cancun Day trips to the archeological sites at Tulum, Chichén Itzá, and Ek Balam The pedestrian-only Avenida 5 in Playa del Carmen that’s the hot social scene Night life, including live music venues, tequila bars, sports bars, cafes, and plenty of places where you can dance the night away Like every For Dummies travel guide, Cancún & the Yucatán For Dummies, 3rd Edition includes: Down-to-earth trip-planning advice What you shouldn’t miss — and what you can skip The best hotels and restaurants for every budget Handy Post-it® Flags to mark your favorite pages Whether your idea of the perfect vacation is action, sun, and non-stop fun or an escape to a peaceful haven where life moves along in pure mañana mode, this guide will get you on your way with no problemo, amigo.

Describes and evaluates beach resorts on Mexico's Pacific and Caribbean coasts, features rated profiles of 125 hotels and one hundred restaurants, and includes information on sightseeing and nightlife, tips on tours and packages, and advice on how, when and where to travel in Mexico.