Tourism Role in the Process of Convergence and Cultural Development of Islamic Countries

This article explains tourism influence on convergence and cultural development in an analytic-descriptive way. Various factors of tourism stagnation among Islamic countries can be divided into inner and outer factors. Considering background of tourism industry, especially pilgrimage one in Islam world, different forms of tourism, such as recreational, commercial, religious, pilgrimage and athletic, influence on the process of cultural convergence of Islamic countries. This investigation results that tourism industry is an effective factor in local, regional and international level. Considering technological development in third millennium, cultural development can be achieved through reasonable planning and managing tourism. Tourism industry influences on scientific transactions, growth of social-economics productions, Islamic society union, and evolution of conventions and values. To enforce and stabilize peace, friendship and cultural development among Islamic countries, some effectual tourism development strategies are: governments’ cooperation in establishing and developing security; developing bases; conferring tourism reasonable services; setting tourism rules; informing and using information technology for advertising and marketing; educating manpower and researching into tourism.