23 December, 2009 - Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA) participated in the fifth meeting of the Executive Committee of Arab Tourism Ministers Council (ATMC) which was held from December 19 to 20 in Muscat. Qatar Tourism Authority represented Qatar at this important meeting by Mr. Jabor Al-Mohannadi, Head of Public and International Relations of QTA andMr. Mohammad Al-Hafnawi, Legal Advisor of QTA.

 

The meeting was attended by eight countries - Qatar, Syria, Lebanon, Tunisia, Algeria, Djibouti, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, in addition to the host, Sultanate of Oman, which was represented by its Ministry of Tourism

 

The proceedings were attended by representatives of Arab tourism ministries and authorities together with the representatives of the World Tourism Organisation (WTO), Arab Tourism Organisation, and Secretariat General of Arab League.

 

The agenda of the fifth meeting of the ATMC’s Executive Committee included eight key items including the election of the Chairman of the Executive Committee, the discussion of Technical Secretariat’s report on the implementation of the Committee’s previous decisions, and the announcement of the ATMC’s Award for Quality Tourism.

 

The award was given to the Emirates Palace Hotel of Abu Dhabi and both the Sultan Palace and Shangri-La Bar Al Jessa hotels of Oman.

 

Also listed on the agenda was the discussion of the Arab tourism strategy, which is built on two key grounds: the decision of the Social & Economical Committee on the strategy’s projects and programs, and the follow-up with the Arab tourism strategy’s priority programmes.

 

During the meetings, the efforts for implementing the procedures embraced in executive action plan for the recommendations handed down by the Arab Economic & Social Development Summit in the tourism domain were discussed together with the global financial crisis and the roadmap adopted by the WTO, and the outcomes of the 10^th Arab Tourism Forum on low-cost airlines and pan-Arab tourism.

 

The Arab Economic & Social Development Summit was hosted in Kuwait early this year.

 

The delegates at the council meeting also deliberated the ATMC’s financial statements and contributions by the member states and the 2010 budget.

 

During the closing session, a motion was adopted to introduce a logo for the council, which will be presented at the Ministerial Meeting scheduled to take place in Alexandria next June for approval.

 

Similarly, a study on the set up of an Arab centre for management of tourism crises was presented along with the recommendations handed down by the Islam & Tourism Forum held in the Yemeni capital of Sanaa in October 2009.

 

There was a recommendation to hold the forum on an annual basis provided that it is hosted by a different capital city of a Muslim state.