Muscat: The Sultanate of Oman chaired the 27th regular meeting of the Arab Ministerial Council for Tourism, under the chairmanship of Salem bin Mohammed al Mahrouqi, Minister of Heritage and Tourism, which was held from December 11-12 in Egypt.
The Sultanate of Oman was welcomed to host the Arab Forum for Investment in Cultural Heritage Sites in 2025, and the Arab Republic of Egypt to host the conference on the role of Arab banks in investing in the tourism sector in Arab countries in February 2025, and the city of Baghdad in the Republic of Iraq was chosen as the capital of Arab tourism for 2025.
The meeting addressed several strategic issues that contribute to enhancing tourism cooperation between Arab countries.
Al Mahrouqi pointed out that several important proposals were put forward that would enhance and develop means of cooperation in the tourism sector, which constitute a continuation of joint efforts to support joint Arab action.
Al Mahrouqi also stressed the need to adopt partnership models between governments and referred to the possibility of adopting a proposal to establish an Arab financial institution that would be responsible for financing and directing investments to build tourist destinations and experiences by implementing policies and practices that support local content and achieve sustainability goals, especially in the field of climate change, community participation, supporting national products, and creating job opportunities.
The meeting discussed supporting the Palestinian economy in the field of tourism by calling on the ministries of tourism in the Arab countries to increase the technical support provided to the State of Palestine within the framework of the strategic plan for sectoral development in Jerusalem, in addition to directing part of their programs to implement relief and development projects.
The meeting decided to establish an Arab tourism region, by creating a live document that includes the tourist destinations of the Arab countries and displaying it on the website of the League of Arab States.
It was also decided to request the United Nations Tourism Organization to review the methodology for preparing tourism statistics, especially on tourism spending. It was agreed to launch an annual award for sustainable tourism at the level of Arab countries to encourage institutions working in the tourism sector to be sustainable.
Oman Observer is now on the WhatsApp channel. Click here
