Tourism & Hospitality | Wednesday 21 December, 2016 1:39 am |

The Arab Ministerial Tourism Council met from the 13th to 15th of December at the Al Bustan Palace Hotel in Muscat. Attendees included Ministers from the Arab countries, members of World Tourism Organization as well as representatives from the Arab Center for Tourist Media. The council met to discuss ways to develop the tourism industry in the Arab World.

This meeting was preceded by the Executive Office Meeting for the Arab Ministerial Tourism Council, which is entrusted to follow up and study the recommendations made by the Council.

In his opening statement, His Excellency Ahmed Bin Nasser Al Mahrizi said, “This meeting will foster cooperation between the countries of the Arab world, and help boost the growth of the tourism sector. We are proud that the Sultanate of Oman is hosting such an important and impactful meeting.”

His Excellency also added that the meeting coincides with the 46th National Day celebrations of the Sultanate, marking the achievements that the people of this country and His Majesty Sultan Qaboos continue to make.

Dr Dina Hussain Dhaher, Director of the department of Transport and Tourism at the General Secretariat of the Arab League of States thanked the Sultanate for its efforts in ensuring the success of the 19th edition of the Arab Ministerial Tourism Council, and that she looks forward to seeing the results of the meeting.

Among the many issues, the Council addressed the development and implementation of the Arab Tourism Strategy as well as the tourism activities that drive the youth, as this is one of the most important tourism segments in the region. The Council also discussed initiatives that will generate tourism-related statistics from different hotels and feed the development of future strategies.

The meeting concluded with summarizing the latest tourism statistics and presenting the “Businesswomen Incubators for tourism” project, which aims to provide investment and employment opportunities for women in the Arab world.

The meeting also presented a great opportunity to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between H.E Ahmed Bin Nasser Al Mahrizi, the Minister of Tourism, and H.E Mohammed Yahya Mohamed Rashid, Minister of Tourism in Egypt, to strengthen bilateral cooperation and relationship. The main objective of the MoU is to invest in tourism and hospitality sector, participate in travel fairs/ exhibitions in each other’s country and encourage cooperation between tourism stakeholders including hotels and tour operators. Additionally, they will exchange expertise in areas of promotion, marketing, destination development and management.

On the sidelines of the meeting, the Ministry of Tourism took the opportunity to take the delegations on a tour to showcase some of the cultural treasures of the capital, such as the Royal Opera House and the National Museum.