Conclusion of conference on Arab Tourism in Taiz [Archives:2004/783/Community]

Taiz Bureau
Yemen Times
The representative of sixteen Arab states concluded last week the second conference aimed at establishing the Arab Tourism Organization under the motto “Towards Integrated Tourism”, at the Sofitel Hotel in Taiz.
The conference started on October the second and aimed at approving the charter articles of Association of the Organization so as to submit it to the committee of the Arab Tourism Ministers Council in its coming session to be held in Cairo.
One of the resolutions the conference came up with was the recommendation to agree on having Sana'a the Capital of Arab Tourism for the Year 2006.
The final statement of the Conference, which was called Taiz Declaration, has called the private sector in Arab countries to shoulder its role in contributing to the efforts of the Arab Tourism Organization and make use of the privileges availed to fortify its role in establishing a comprehensive and integrated Arab tourism industry.
In the final meeting of the conference was attended by the Governor of Taiz, Judge Ahmed Abdullah el-Hijri and representatives of sixteen Arab countries, namely Jordan, Bahrain, Algiers, Comoros, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, Iraq, Oman, Palestine, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Egypt, Mauritania, and Yemen. The event was also attended by representatives of the local authority along with a number of prominent businessmen, including the Chairman of Hayel Saeed Group, Shiekh Ali Muhammad Saeed Ana'am, and the Deputy Chairman of the Board, the Dr. Ahmed Hayel Saeed Ana'am.
Participants, press correspondents, as well as several intellectual individuals interested in the tourism sector attended the final session of the conference.
A message of gratitude was conveyed to the President of the Republic for his auspices of the conference and for his support to facilitate such conferences that bring greater unity among Arabs.
The Governor of Taiz called for more investment in the tourism industry in Yemen in general, and particularly in Taiz. He reminded the participants of the natural beauty that Yemen enjoys, which is represented in plains, mountains, tourism landmarks, and important historical sites. He added that Taiz is also enjoying all these tourism components as well as moderate weather throughout the whole year.
The head of the private sector committee in the Arab Tourism Ministers Council, Bandar bin Fahd Al Fuheid praised the efforts of Yemen in hosting this conference, pointing out to the generous hospitality he found in Yemeni people. He expressed his admiration of the tourism features that Yemen possesses, which show that the country has potent ional to bring about tourism prosperity, especially for Taiz. He also added that the Arab tourism development is a strategic step towards comprehensive development of Arab countries, beginning with human resources. He said that it is essential to invest funds in the tourism sector in the Arab countries instead of investing them in other countries in the West.
Member of Parliament, Shiekh Hameed Abdullah bin Hussain al-Ahmer, who headed Yemen's team in the conference delivered a word pointing out to the importance of the conference. He added that the tourism industry could help in absorbing the unemployment and create job opportunities for the youth and serve as a substantial source of income for Arab governments.
It is worth mentioning that the conference was inaugurated in Sana'a by H.E. Prime Minister Abdul Qader Ba-Jammal in the presence of the Minister of Culture & Tourism, Khaled al-Rowaishan, and H.E. the Assistant Secretary to the Arab League, and a number of Arab countries ambassadors, along with representatives of Yemeni and Arab media.
The Governor of Taiz also arranged a visit for the participating delegations to Taiz to familiarize them with its historical and tourism landmarks, including Jebel Saber, Shiekh Zayed Cafeteria and al-Qahirah historical Fort. The delegation also visited the al-Saeed Library for Science and Culture, and viewed the Arab, Islamic and international publications it contained, and which covered science, culture, and arts. The guests were also briefed on the annual reward of the late Haj Hayel Saeed Ana'am for science, culture and arts.
At the end of the visit, the participating delegation members expressed their appreciation to the host and to the al-Saeed group for the efforts that they are exerting in various developmental lines including the tourism and cultural development.
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