IOSR Journal Of Humanities And Social Science (IOSR-JHSS) Volume 23, Issue 9, Ver. 2 (September. 2018) 14-21 e-ISSN: 2279-0837, p-ISSN: 2279-0845. www.iosrjournals.org DOI: 10.9790/0837-2309021421 www.iosrjournals.org 14 | Page The Influence of Middle East Crisis on the Flow of Tourists to Jordan Wazerah, S. AlTarawneh 1 , Hamimi Omar 2 , Shaharuddin B. Tahir 3 School of Tourism, Hospitality and Environmental Management, University Utara Malaysia, Kedah, Malaysia Corresponding Author: Wazerah Abstract: Despite the Middle East is considered as a conflict-ridden region, relatively some major tourism destination such as Jordan is safe, however, these destinations' geographic location has resulted in tourists‟ misperceptions and had a negative effect on tourism throughout the Middle East. This study aimed to uncover the challenges of decreased the flow of tourists to the Jordan to restore a positive image after the crisis following the Arab Spring uprisings. Literature analysis method was applied to review previous literature on perceived risks in the Middle East. Results of the analysis revealed the issues that influence tourists‟ perceived risk toward the region and Jordan particularly were geographical ignorance of safe destinations, a biased coverage of the media, different culture influence personal characteristics concerning freedom, and weakness of previous experiences. Findings further revealed that studies regarding during-traveling sampling of international tourists in the Middle East are limited. Keywords: Perceived Risk, Tourism Crisis, Middle East, Jordan. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Date of Submission: 29-08-2018 Date of acceptance: 13-09-2018 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I. INTRODUCTION Tourism is a main contributor to the diversity of people‟s lifestyles by supporting culture and creating revenues, entertainment, and jobs 1,2 . However, tourism is a service industry and the nature of its products involves experience and intangibility 3 ; thus, it is susceptible to risks and threats 4 . Mitchell and Vassos (1998) noted that tourism is an intangible service that is significantly difficult to standardize 5 ; thus, the perceived risk of traveling is likely to be high. Several studies have confirmed that one of the main determinants that influence tourists‟ decision to travel is a perceived risk 6, 7 . According to Deng and Ritchie (2016) perceived risk is a key determinant in tourism commerce because it tends to influence tourists‟ choice of destination 8 . Tourists avoid destinations that are usually perceived as risky, such the Middle East region; thus, destinations are negatively affected 9, 10 . The Middle East is considering as a controversial region. Despite there are several safe places in the Middle East region, but any events in the region are reflected on all the countries in this area. The generalization of the effect in the Middle East 11, may result from geographical ignorance or biased media 12, 13 . Furthermore, scholars have confirmed that the level of tourist involvement in security situations is associated with the number of tourists who visit Middle Eastern countries 14 . Thus, the negative stereotype of Middle Eastern destinations as unsafe prompted Middle Eastern countries to devote considerable emphasis over the years to countering that notion 15 . Jordan has often found itself amid the crisis and regional conflict in the Middle East. In 2011 and 2012, Jordan, along with other countries in the region (including Iraq, Yemen, Bahrain, Libya, Tunisia, Syria, Kuwait, Sudan, and Egypt) were shaken by violent and non-violent protests known as the Arab Spring 16,17 , as well as the emergence of militant and terrorist groups, such as the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) 18 . Thus, these events highlighted that the turbulent socio-political environment in the region affected the flow of tourists to the area. This article analysed previous studies from scientific journals sober in order to uncover the issues and challenges that faced the tourism industry in the Middle East in general, and in the tourism industry in Jordan particularly to restore a positive image to their countries and bring back tourists after the crisis following the Arab Spring uprisings. II. LITERATURE REVIEW Perceived risk in Tourism: Tourism is one of the largest and fastest growing industries in the world; however, tourism is not just a world activity 19 . According to UNWTO (2008, p.2), “tourism comprises the activities of persons traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business, and other purposes” 20 . Over time, the tourism industry has been influenced by