The Environmental Consequences of Tourism: Revisiting Carbon Emissions in Middle Eastern Countries

This study examines the impact of tourism on carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions in five major Middle Eastern tourist destinations: Türkiye, Lebanon, Jordan, Cyprus, and Egypt. Using the Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) model, it investigates both short- and long-term effects, with the Toda-Yamamoto Granger causality test applied for robustness. Findings reveal that the short-term impact of tourism on CO₂ emissions varies across countries; however, in the long term, tourism contributes to a reduction in CO₂ emissions in all five destinations. The research findings underscore the critical importance of adopting sustainable tourism practices across all five countries. Efforts should focus on promoting ecotourism and enforcing environmental regulations. Additionally, tailored, country-specific strategies are essential. Egypt and Türkiye should prioritize the development of eco-friendly infrastructure and the adoption of smart tourism technologies to enhance sustainability. Cyprus should focus on advancing sustainable tourism by linking coastal, rural, and urban areas through eco-route integration. Meanwhile, Lebanon and Jordan should emphasize clean energy initiatives and innovation to drive sustainable tourism development.