The 7th meeting of the ministers responsible for tourism in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries kicked off today in the city of Jabal Al-Akhdar in the Sultanate of Oman.
It is organised and hosted by the Ministry of Heritage and Tourism in Oman, and supervised by the GCC General Secretariat.
Abdulla bin Adel Fakhro, Minister of Industry and Commerce and Acting Minister of Tourism, actively led the delegation of the Kingdom of Bahrain participating in the ministerial meeting, stressing the importance of this meeting and the opportunities it provides to share experiences and innovate solutions to develop this vital sector, while taking advantage of the experiences of member countries, to enhance the contribution of tourism to the GDP, ensuring strengthening of the bonds of cooperation, and joint coordination among member states.
He stressed that the designation of Manama as the Gulf Tourism Capital for the year 2024 affirms the significant role of the Kingdom of Bahrain in supporting integrated tourism efforts at the regional level, encouraging inter-tourism among GCC countries, coordinating with various regional and international tourism entities, travel, culture and entertainment sectors, developing the industry at the Gulf level and supporting the transition to a sustainable tourism based on international best practices.
Minister Fakhro emphasised the importance of this meeting in shedding light on the Kingdom of Bahrain’s remarkable accomplishments and initiatives in elevating the tourism landscape, not only within the Gulf region but on a global level as well. He underscored the substantial investments made to enhance the tourism infrastructure, advance environmental standards and promote sustainability in hotels and tourist facilities. These efforts have played a pivotal role in increasing the influx of international visitors, positioning Bahrain as one of the most appealing tourist destinations.
The meeting included a number of important priority topics on the agenda, foremost of which is accelerating the pace of recovery of the tourism sector worldwide, increasing flexibility of the Gulf tourism and its ability to face various challenges in the future, while seeking ways to ensure the sustainability of the sector and to have constant follow-up by the Kingdom of Bahrain to implement these decisions provided by the Committee of the GCC Tourism Ministers.
Minister Fakhro underscored the necessity of cultivating a conducive environment that nurtures SMEs within the tourism sector. He also advocated for the activation of sustainable tourism strategies on both regional and global scales to underpin the transformation of Gulf tourism destinations into more sustainable entities.
Source: Bahrain News Agency