(MENAFN- The Peninsula) Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA) Chairman Issa bin Mohamed Al Mohannadi yesterday called for the protection of Arab historical sites as an integral part of the global tourism system and urged the cessation of military activities which affect the historical sites. Al Mohannadi was speaking at the "United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) and Arabian Travel Market (ATM) Ministerial Forum on intra-Arab Tourism: Addressing the challenges and seizing the opportunities" yesterday in Dubai.
He said one of the major challenges facing the tourism industry in the Middle East is it has been classified as unsafe region. When wars and conflicts in the region end, the international perception about the region will change and confidence of global tourists will be restored, enabling it to play a key role in the international tourism industry map because of the region's tourism potential and infrastructure, he pointed out.
Al Mohannadi stressed the importance of seeking to remove such international classification of the region as a conflict zone.
There's a need to establish huge tourism projects and sustainable tourism development, he said, adding hosting international events such as Expo 2020 in the UAE and the World Cup 2022 in Qatar will help in changing the image and in developing the tourism sector in the region.
Al Mohannadi also talked about the joint tourism visa between Qatar and Oman which allows the holder freedom of movement between the two countries, saying the two countries provide different tourism products and working together to attract tourists from outside the region. He expressed hope this will be applied by other GCC member states.
In order to remove the obstacles in intra-Arab tourism it is essential for the leaders to understand the significance of the tourism sector and the importance of developing it, he said.
UNWTO Secretary-General Taleb Rifai was of the same view calling for the eradication of all obstacles in tourism sector development and making travel between the countries easier by innovating new means to make travel safer and more secure. He emphasized the importance of confronting obstacles which hinder intra-Arab tourism and finding solution for the challenges through the forum. Despite difficulties witnessed by the MENA region, Dr Al Rifai said tourism in the region managed to achieve a 3.9 percent growth last year. He noted tourism revenues of the Arab region reached $49bn and development was mainly in the GCC region. Some traditional tourism destinations also began to show recovery, he added.
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