GCC Tourism Ministers Hold Meeting in Doha

Doha, October 07 (QNA) - HE Minister of Economy and Commerce Sheikh Ahmed bin Jassim bin Mohamed Al-Thani opened today the second meeting of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) ministers in charge of tourism. The meeting was attended by the ministers responsible for tourism in the GCC countries and GCC Assistant Secretary General for Cultural and Media Affairs Dr Khalid bin Salim Al Ghassani. During the meeting, they discussed the recommendations of the preparatory meeting of the undersecretaries of tourism on integration aspects between the public and private sectors in the member states. They also reviewed a memo by the General Secretariat on the efforts of the GCC countries in preserving the architectural heritage as well as its memo on the annual handicraft exhibition. Among the recommendations approved during the meeting was one on the celebration of the capital of Gulf tourism in Manama to highlight tourism potentials in each GCC member state, increase awareness about the importance of tourism and create opportunities for the development of the sector and its projects and related services. The recommendations also focused on the development of joint action between the public and private sectors in the tourism field and on the importance of preparing a strategy for joint tourism action in the GCC, along with coordinating regional and international cooperation in the field of tourism and intensifying efforts for intra tourism development and strengthening cooperation in the field of exhibitions and conferences. The meeting comes in the framework of common GCC efforts to achieve the goals of the joint GCC tourism action at the top of which are the activation of partnerships between the public and private sectors, boosting intra GCC tourism, enhancing mutual tourism and promoting as well as marketing tourism as a powerful tool for economic development in all GCC states. (QNA)