HE the Prime Minister and Interior Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa al-Thani with the GCC ministers of tourism yesterday.

QNA/Doha


HE the Minister of Economy and Commerce Sheikh Ahmed bin Jassim bin Mohamed al-Thani yesterday opened the second meeting of the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) ministers in charge of tourism.  
The meeting was attended by 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 co-ordinating regional and international co-operation in the field of tourism and intensifying efforts for intra tourism development and strengthening co-operation 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.
Addressing the opening session, HE the Minister of Economy and Trade underlined the importance of tourism and its role in enhancing the status of the Gulf states as a tourist destination on the world map.
The minister highlighted the interest and awareness of Qatar and its leadership of the importance of tourism as a key element in advancing development and as a major engine to build a diversified and sustainable economy.
Later HE the Minister of Economy and Commerce and Omani Minister of Tourism Ahmed bin Nasser al-Mahrizi signed a joint agreement to strengthen co-operation between the two countries in tourism.
Under the agreement the two sides seek to build on the existing co-operation, which have achieved a number of initiatives within the Cruise Arabia Alliance including entry tourist visas between the two countries that will enhance the inter-tourism.
The signing ceremony was attended by Chairman of the General Authority for Tourism Issa bin Mohammed al-Mohannadi, and a number of tourism departments officials of the two countries.