Arab Tourism Executive Committee  Meetings Kicked Off [Archives:1999/25/Business & Economy]

The Third Round of Arab Tourism Executive Committee meetings were kicked off in Sanaa on Saturday, June19 and will continue till June 21 with the participation of Arab delegates representing a good number of Arab countries. The inauguration session started with a word delivered by his Excellency Mr. Abdul-Rahman Al-Suhaibani, the Arab League Assistant Secretary General for Economic Affairs in which he shed light on the meanings of having this meeting held in Sanaa. 
The Syrian Minister of Tourism, Dr. Danho Daood, Chairman of the first round of the Arab Ministerial Council for Tourism highlighted the importance of this meeting to both private and public sectors. Dr. Danho invited every one to take part in the processes of enhancing, promoting and law-making of tourist issues pointing out that such meetings could be very useful as they bring Arab tourist officials and private entrepreneurs together to exclusively discuss ways of further promoting tourism in the Arab World. He also briefed the attendants on the growing improvement in Arab tourism referring in this regard to the increase in numbers of tourists coming to Arab countries which jumped to 6.17% in 1998 compared to 1997. As a result, revenues have also increased in 1998 and hit a growth rate of 7.25 % compared to 1997. The Arab World’s share of the world basket in tourism rose to 2.9% in 1998 compared to 2.7% in 1997. 
The Syrian Minister concluded his speech by reiterating the unique assets for tourism among the Arabs who have a lot in common either in cultural and geographical or in economic and social arenas. He expressed his confidence that the term of the Third Round chaired by Mr. Abdulmalek Mansour, Minister of Culture and Tourism will record more progress and steps on the way of achieving the Arab Ministerial Council’s objectives. 
Minister of Culture and Tourism Mr. Mansour, chairman of the Third Round also delivered a speech in which he referred to the sad incidents of last year affirming that such acts were alien to our society and had no relation whatever to the ethics, manners and culture of the Yemeni society, reassuring the attendants of the successful efforts of the state fight against the kidnapping phenomenon. 
He furthermore called on the Arabs to encourage tourism among their countries by providing the necessary incentives of easy movement and transportation. 
The conference’s agenda was approved during this opening session. 
By: Khairiya Al-Shabibi, 
Yemen Times
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