The Paradox of Our Times

The Paradox of Our Times

تناقضات عصرنا الحاض

I received these precious thoughts from an friend of mine - in English and in Arabic:



Today we have bigger houses and smaller families; more conveniences, but less time.

نملك هذه الأيام منازل أكبر ، وأسر أصغر؛ ونملك وسائل راحة أكثر ، ووقتا أقل

We have more degrees, but less common sense; more knowledge, but less judgment.

لدينا شهادات أكثر ، ومنطقٌ أقل ؛ ولدينا معرفة أكثر ، وحكمة أقل

We have more experts, but more problems; more medicine, but less wellness.

لدينا خبراء أكثر ، ومشاكل أكثر ؛ ولدينا أدوية أكثر ، وعافية أقل

We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values.

لقد ضاعفنا ممتلكاتنا ، وقللنا قيمنا

We‘ve learned how to make a living, but not a life; we’ve added years to life, not life to years.

لقد تعلمنا كيف نكسب رزقنا ، ولم نتعلم كيف نحيا ؛ لقد أضفنا سنوات إلى حياتنا ، ولم نضف حياة إلى سنوات عمرنا.

We have taller buildings, but shorter tempers; wider freeways, but narrower viewpoints.

لدينا مبانٍ أعلى ، وطباعاً حادة، ولدينا طرقا سريعة أوسع ، ووجهات نظر أضيق

We spend more, but have less; we buy more, but enjoy it less.

إننا ننفق أكثر ، ونملك أقل ؛ إننا نشتري أكثر ، ونستمتع أقل

We've been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet the new neighbor.

لقد وصلنا للقمر وعُدنا ، ولكننا ننزعج من عبور الشارع لزيارة جار جديد

We've conquered outer space, but not inner space. We've split the atom, but not our prejudice.

لقد انتصرنا على الفضاء الخارجي ، ولم ننتصر على أنفسنا ولقد شطرنا الذرة ، ولم نتغلب على أهوائن

Write more, but learn less; plan more, but accomplish less.

إننا نكتب كثيرا ، ونتعلم قليلا ؛ ونخطط كثيرا ، وننجز القليل

We've learned to rush, but not to wait; we have higher incomes, but lower morals.

لقد تعلمنا العجلة ، ولم نتعلم الانتظار ؛ ولدينا دخل أعلى ، وأخلاق أدنى

We are long on quantity, but short on quality.

لدينا فائض في الكمية ، ونقص في النوعية

These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion; tall men and short character; steep profits and shallow relationships.

هذه هي أيام الوجبات السريعة والهضم البطيء ؛ رجال طوال القامة ، صغار الشخصية ؛ أرباح كبيرة ، وعلاقات ضحلة

More leisure and less fun; more kinds of food, but less nutrition; two incomes, but more divorce; fancier houses, but broken homes.

لدينا الكثير من وقت الفراغ ، والقليل من المتعة ؛ لدينا الكثير من أنواع الطعام ، والقليل من التغذية. لدينا دخل عال ، وطلاق أعلى ؛ لدينا منازل فاخرة ، وبيوت محطمة

(anonymous source)


Whatever you do, try to remember:

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take,
but by the moments that take our breath away.

Andreas Hauser

Saudi Arabia: Destination Report

First Impressions of an
Undiscovered Destination

To enter Saudi Arabia is probably one of the most difficult tasks for any visitor. However, those lucky enough to do business in the Kingdom are able to get a fascinating glimpse of a largely undiscovered tourism destination. Along the Red Sea Coast, a truly unique blend of historical cities, Islamic pilgrimage, Arabian lifestyle and glittering consume temples unfolds.

Jeddah is the gateway of Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea Coast, in the western part of the Arabian Peninsula. The airport represents just about any arrival hall throughout the Middle East: worn, crowded and bureaucratic. Contrary to all expectations, however, formalities are rather straightforward and it does not take very long to start the adventure into the Kingdom. How is Saudi Arabia, the great unknown destination? What does it feel like? In what aspects does it differ from other places?

A Curious Face in Jeddah

The highway leads out of town, northwards along the Red Sea Coast. A first stop incites memories of innumerable places all over the Arab World that are virtually identical: gas station, car repair shops, ATM and a lively array of little shops. Fresh juices are displayed; falafel and sweets are on sale; and people from all over the world are grouped around them, bargaining noisily. Difficult to distinguish where all the expatriate workers come from, whether Bangladesh, Pakistan, Philippines or rather Morocco, Egypt, Syria. In all this confusion, some basic Arabic words go a long way: food is served and it tastes delicious.

The town of Yanbu, around three hours north of Jeddah, is rather unpretentious at present. Physically divided from the petrochemical industrial zone, a large residential district is being created and encompasses the historic city core with the derelict houses. Today, 65.000 people live in Yanbu, but plans are to extend it into a thriving economic and urban centre in the near future. The first shopping mall is already under construction. And infrastructure works in the new and modern city centre as well as at the waterfront with its tourism facilities are well under way.

Impressions of Yanbu

In some corners, a traditional touch of Yanbu is still alive. From the early morning hours on, the bustling fish market presents the abundant treasures from the Red Sea: snapper, tuna, barracuda, octopus and sometimes even a shark. In town, Indian and Pakistani traders sell heavily ornate dresses for women as well as all kinds of kitsch that is even beyond the wildest imagination – made in China.

Fishing Boats at Yanbu Port

Of special interest is the old centre of Yanbu Al-Bahr, once famed for the stay of Lawrence of Arabia in his quest for Arab independence. The economic wealth after the oil boom in the 1970s attracted the former inhabitants to more modern residences in other parts of town and thus, the historic houses became abandoned. The buildings vary in height between one and four stories and are made from coral limestone, palm tree trunks and adobe. Beautifully carved wooden balconies and window shades are remainders of Yanbu’s eventful past as a port and trading post. While some of the neglected houses are still upright, standing indifferently to time and development, others have partially collapsed and lie in rumble. The sea access is now blocked by the new port and a dual carriageway highway.

Historic Houses in Yanbu Al-Bahr

Beautifully Carved Wooden Balconies

Going inland holds a pleasant surprise: the desert is green! After passing the full range of landscapes with sand dunes, black lava stone hills and dreary wasteland, a little side valley opens up and shows irrigation, palm tree plantations and spring flowers – the result of the not-so-unusual winter rainfalls in the desert. In the backdrop, the jagged mountain tops of the Hijaz appear, rough and unapproachable. A fascinating landscape unfolds before the very eyes of the observer, alternating only with small villages that give evidence about the harsh living conditions in former times. An innate sense of adventure makes itself known, wanting to explore more, but it has to be saved for another time: a camel on the road marks the turnaround point of the day’s trip.

Green Desert Landscape against the Hijaz Mountains

The beaches along the coast are largely untouched and extend for many kilometres. Everyone who has been to the Egyptian part of the Red Sea can very well imagine what lies hidden underneath: an incredibly large ecosystem with pristine coral reefs and colourful fisheries that are amongst the world’s best. And every passionate diver is immediately infested with the familiar anticipation of going underwater: deeper, more conscious breathing sets in and the arms engage involuntarily in small, swimming movements. But, like before, this experience will have to wait for another time.

The last day is reserved for Jeddah: only a contained settlement with a minor port until the 1960s, it sparkles today as a lively metropolis of around 3 million inhabitants. Apart from being the gateway to the holy Islamic cities of Makkah and Madinah, Jeddah’s main drawing factor is its extraordinary Corniche. Alternating between eternal summer leisure and eager construction activity, it stretches along 25 km. Specifically geared to Saudi families, the Corniche appears like a huge open-air fun fair: parks, entertainment, boardwalks, restaurants, picnic areas, and cafés, garnished with pink candy floss, peanuts and all kinds of juices. Only the top attraction of Jeddah, the highest water fountain in the world with over 300 m, fails to provide the expected visual delight. For the third day in a row it is not working – highly unusual in an otherwise perfectly functioning surrounding.

"Sail Island" at the Jeddah Corniche

The way leads through the traffic roundabouts, perplexing in size and design, towards the cultural highlight of Jeddah: Al-Balad, the historic centre. On 1.5 km², some of the most remarkable architectonic and urban structures on all of Arabia’s coasts await the interested visitor. The charm in the tiny alleys is captivating: winding streets pass by half-crumbled buildings; hidden squares are filled with the laughter of children in their soccer games; African women without the mandatory face veil darting chattily by. And above all that resound the prayer calls of the muezzins from the surrounding high walls.

The houses themselves are authentic marvels, in their form, appearance and state probably unique in the world. Above the gazing onlooker, they tower up to five storeys high, built to catch the cooling breeze coming in from the sea during the scorching summer months. Some of the houses have been restored in great detail and serve as homes to prosperous families, while others are neglected and inhabited by expatriate workers and their families. As in Yanbu Al-Bahr, the wooden carvings on the balconies and windows are of amazing exactitude and filigree, giving evidence of the wealth of the old port and trader town Jeddah.

The Historic Centre of Jeddah

The souq is a kaleidoscope of Arabian life with an international blend. The inevitable spice mountains spread their olfactory propaganda into every corner of the bazaar. Heated bargaining mixes with leisurely walkabouts; drinking, chatting, working, meeting and eating are all interrelated. Only at certain times of the day, the commercial sanctuaries are hastily covered and everything falls into immovability: the prayer times are sacred to the Saudis and are strictly observed.

Jeddah's Old Souq at Prayer Time

Back to the Corniche, the other face of Jeddah: the most expensive luxury labels of the world present themselves along the roads of the waterfront promenade and tempt the well-known shopping gene of the affluent Saudis. In between are many restaurants and cafés, of course strictly divided: single or groups of men are not allowed to intrude the privacy of the family areas. While this segregation of gender has been successfully enforced over decades by the tradition keepers, they now face the severe challenge of modern times: the blue tooth-equipped mobile phones facilitate a discreet approach between male and female youths, undiscovered by rigorous eyes and ears of the moral guardians.

Tradition and Modernity in Jeddah

After an extensive Egyptian dinner in a lavishly decorated restaurant – the longing look in the direction of the fountain was still not crowned by success – comes the final major hurdle: the drive back through Jeddah to the airport. On a Wednesday night, the day before the Saudi weekend, this can turn into a hell’s ride. The lack of understanding for basic traffic rules is compensated for with heroic speed and intrepid lane changes. 120 km/h on the city freeway turns respectful foreigners into mere traffic obstacles. Quick reactions are a must to cope with the additional difficulty of turning vehicles or stopping buses. But finally, the airport comes into sight, its entrance flanked by the huge gathering areas set aside for the millions of Islamic pilgrims every year.

One last green Arabic coffee in the middle of the night, before the plane takes off over the glittering and pulsating urban sprawl of Jeddah. Despite the apparent conflicts between modernity and tradition – or maybe because of it – it appears impossible to evade the fascination of Saudi Arabia with its unique cultural context, history and society. So before sinking back into the plane seat, a content smile spreads itself on the thought of the next upcoming business trip.


Andreas Hauser

Ethical Responsibility of a Tourism Consultant

Can the Work of a Tourism Consultant
Be Considered Ethically Responsible?

Over the last decades, tourism has been one of the fastest growing industries world-wide. Experience has shown that it can lead both to positive and negative results, despite an increasing awareness for sustainability. Especially developments in new and unspoilt destinations can have damaging influences, mostly in the social and environmental context. This brings about the question of ethical justifiability of working as a tourism consultant. Considering the complex effects of the projects upon implementation, can the profession be seen in line with a responsible overall understanding of work and life?

It is a fact that the impacts of tourism development are potentially negative on the socio-economic and natural environment. Therefore, an attempt of response to the consultant’s dilemma needs to touch two central issues: the marginal effects that a consultant can have on the progress of a development project; and the applied ethical principles for management consulting.

By definition, consulting is seen as a call for external advice in a specific situation where the complexity exceeds the capabilities and resources of those involved. The consultant as an independent professional brings about contingency adjustments and creates new options for action. In the present case, the tourism expert must provide qualified outside views on plans and projections, specifically taking into account previously unaccounted factors of influence. Only under those conditions, the act of consulting can be justified in its basic principles. Examples for non-consulting situations are substitute management (taking decisions from inside the organization) and bogus consulting (acting as an excuse for already established decisions).

Having established this, the question arises to which degree the consultant actually influences the development progress. Would the development take place or not without the consultant? In most projects, this question can be answered with a clear ‘yes’. The progress does not depend on the inclusion of the consultant, but rather on other external players or factors such as project developers, construction companies, banks, industry service providers or tourism markets.

But then again, does the inclusion of the consultant accelerate the development progress and thereby potential destruction? Possibly it does so, by providing a positive strategic or financial outlook for the project and convincing the involved parties of swift action. But in realistic terms, this would not be more than a difference of several months at maximum, which can be regarded as minor in the light of world-wide developments. In turn, the involvement of a consultant often helps defining weaknesses of the project, leading to the revision of the concept with a subsequent delay in realisation. Finally, it is not uncommon that projects are stopped as a result of the consultant’s negative assessment.

According to the principles of discourse ethics, the tourism consultant should legitimise his consultancy by proving that all suggestions and recommendations are the result of an integrative communicative action. That requires him to take into account the legitimate claims of all those stakeholders affected by the project and balance them rationally. Ethics of responsibility therefore requests three main steps from the consultant:

• From the beginning, he must involve all stakeholders and their rightful demands actively in the process.

• If that is not possible, he must state their legitimate claims by his best knowledge and weigh them according to established criteria.

• If that is not possible for pragmatic reasons, he still must strive to involve the fictional claims while also trying to change the circumstances of the project.

It becomes clear that tourism consultants can play a crucial role in assuring the sustainability of development projects. Apart from the time issue, the main argument in favour of tourism consulting lies in the qualitative nature. A consultant is called into the project with the objective to detect potentially negative project impacts beforehand. While the main focus of this task is usually set on economic issues, the responsible action by the consultant can and must ensure that also social and environmental dimensions are taken into account.

By bringing in his professional experience, the consultant actually supports the mitigation of the negatives effects. He assists in implementing a higher degree of sustainability by fulfilling the following professional requirements:

• Assure that the conditions for true management consulting are fulfilled

• Involve all normative stakeholders and their legitimate claims in the consulting process

Under these considerations, the work of tourism consultancy can be considered ethically responsible. In fact, the consultant has the obligation using every opportunity to exert his influence in the light of the positive results he knows to achieve.


Andreas Hauser