Doha: A delegation from Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA) represented Qatar at the meeting of the GCC Tourism Undersecretaries authorities, which started yesterday in Riyadh.
The two-day meeting is being held ahead of a meeting of the GCC Ministers of Tourism and Chairpersons of Tourism Authorities in Saudi Arabia later this year.
Qatar’s delegation includes Hassan Al Ibrahim, Chief Tourism Development Officer; Hamad Al Abdan, Director of International Cooperation; Saif Al Kuwari, Director of PR and Communication; and Mohammed Hafnawi, Legal Consultant.
The meeting aims to lay the foundations for joint work between GCC countries in the field of tourism and set guidelines for the tourism industries in the member states. Officials will also explore means of promoting intra-GCC tourism by developing special packages for travel between GCC countries, particularly for Gulf nationals.
The meeting will also look into mechanisms, such as the development of promotional film materials and websites, to unify efforts to promote the Gulf region as a tourist destination. Qatar hosted the previous round of meetings of GCC tourism officials in 2015, which resulted several resolutions, including the announcement of a Gulf Tourism Capital, which was celebrated by the Bahraini capital Manama in its first year.
The initiative aims to highlight tourism offerings of each GCC country and raise awareness among people about the importance of tourism and opportunities it presents for investment and creation of jobs.The Peninsula
