Qatar Tourism Authority delegation participates in the 18th session of the General Assembly of the World Tourism Organization
Doha, Qatar - The Qatari delegation, headed by Mr. Ahmed Abdullah Al Nuaimi, Chairman of Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA), arrived in the city of Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan, to participate in the 18th session of the United Nations World Tourism Organization’s General Assembly.
The World Tourism Organization (WTO), which is a specialized UN Agency, comprises 156 states, including Qatar, which is considered an active member of this organization.
Qatar Tourism Authority’s delegation attended the 33rd meeting of the Middle East Committee, which was held prior to a meeting of the organization’s general assembly. During the meeting, Qatar was nominated as a member of the documentation and compensation committee, which is affiliated to the general assembly.
QTA’s delegation attended the general assembly’s first session, which started on Monday October 5th, 2009. The session saw the nomination of the organization’s new secretary general, Dr. Taleb Al Rifai, who will become the successor of former secretary general Francesco Frangialli.
The session also witnessed the election of member-states to the organization’s committees, including the executive council, the authorization and authentication committee, the program committee and the committee on budget and finance, in addition to the passing of decisions made by the regional commissions regarding the appointment of the committees’ presidents.
The general assembly also discussed other items on the agenda, including passing a plan for tourism revival, which was proposed by the organization’s secretary general. The plan consisted of a practical program and proposals to boost the tourism industry and enable it to overcome crises, including the economic crisis and some natural catastrophes that have hit a number of countries.
The plan also stipulated that the WTO shall have a permanent seat in the World Health Organization due to its contribution in efforts to limit the effects of viruses and diseases, mainly the H1N1, on the tourism industry.
Moreover, the organization was able to obtain a membership in the committee entrusted with organizing the Luxembourg Conference on the transition to the green economy, as the tourism industry is considered among the most eco-friendly industries.
Through this membership, the organization will object to calls by environmentalists to limit and restrict air traffic, as such decisions would yield negatively on the tourism industry, since air travel is considered as one of the most important tourism tools.
In addition to the assembly meetings, Mr. Al Nuaimi held sideline discussions with heads of delegations which were present at the 18th session in Astana. Among these meetings:
- Meeting with Mr. Nabil Al Faqih – The Yemeni tourism minister
- Meeting with Mr. Band bin Fahd Al Fuhaid – the president of the Arab Tourism Organization
- Meeting with Mr. Elie Marouni – the Lebanese tourism minister, in addition to the minister of tourism in Kazakhstan.
The meetings focused on how to promote tourism cooperation in its different fields. The delegation will continue to attend the general assembly’s meetings, which will end on Thursday, October 8th, 2009.
ENDS
About Qatar Tourism Authority
Restructured under the Emiri Decree (46) in 2009, Qatar Tourism Authority was given the mandate to organize, enable, and supervise tourism industry development and to organise exhibitions in Qatar, as well as represent and promote Qatar as a quality tourism destination for leisure, business, education, and sport. Qatar Tourism Authority gets actively involved in organizing events and promotions which positively reflect on the general image of Qatar as an evolving tourism destination combining business with leisure.
