Tourism in focus at Arab Ministerial Council meeting in Oman

Muscat: The Sultanate of Oman is hosting the Arab Ministerial Council meeting for the first time in history.
Sixteen countries participating in the meeting were represented by their ministers and heads of tourism as they discuss the most vital areas of cooperation and development in the region.
Oman’s Minister of Tourism, Ahmed Nasser Al Mahrizi, gave the opening speech, followed by Egypt’s Tourism Minister Mohamed Yahya Rashid’s address. The Egyptian minister asked the distinguished guests and reporters alike to rise for a moment of silence in memory of those killed in the recent terror attacks.
At the end of the first session, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the Ministers of Tourism of Oman and Egypt, strengthening bilateral cooperation and the two countries’ relationship.
The main objective of the MoU is to invest in the tourism and hospitality sector, participate in travel fairs and 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.
“The exchange of ideas and expertise in this meeting will enrich the tourism sector in the Arab countries as a whole. Tourism plays a significant role in the Arab world. We aim to develop and build this sector to attract tourists from around the world so that they discover the Arab countries better,” Mohammed Yahya Rashid, Egypt’s Minister of Tourism, said. The Council also discussed ways to maintain the architectural heritage as well as the standards of tour operators and media vendors.
The participants also identified institutions that will help develop tourism as well as organisations that focus on marine-based competitions.
The meeting will conclude by summarising 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.