Chief Executive Officer of the Bahrain Tourism and Exhibitions Authority (BTEA), Dr. Nasser Qaedi, participated in the 7th meeting of the heads of tourism authorities of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries.
The event was held today at the Ages Museum, situated in the Omani Al Dakhiliyah Governorate.
The meeting examined several collaborative tourism strategies, projects, and diverse initiatives in readiness for the upcoming tourism ministerial meeting. This included joint promotional programmes and marketing campaigns, all geared towards enhancing the tourism sector and its various domains. These efforts align with the decisions made and deliberated upon during the sixth meeting of the heads of the tourism sector held in Al-Ula, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, in 2022.
The participants explored mechanisms to bolster and advance joint GCC tourism initiatives. This included enhancing the Gulf Tourism Strategy and the GCC Tourism Platform, fostering extensive pathways and promising prospects for Gulf tourism. These avenues enable comprehensive insights into the festivals, events, and tourism activities held throughout the region, shedding light on its rich civilisation, heritage, and diverse tourism offerings.
Dr. Qaedi delivered a speech wherein he commended the gracious hospitality extended by the Ministry of Heritage and Tourism in the Sultanate of Oman. He expressed gratitude to the GCC General Secretariat for their excellent organisation. He underscored BTEA’s eagerness to enhance discussions on these vital topics, aiming to align common interests for the advancement of the tourism sector across GCC countries and its amplified contribution to economic development.
Emphasising the need for a well-prepared executive framework to follow up on the meeting's outcomes, Dr. Qaedi stressed the aspirations of the GCC countries to establish the Arabian Gulf as a globally competitive tourist destination. He highlighted Bahrain's existing memorandums of understanding and collaborative frameworks in the tourism sector with various GCC nations.
He also affirmed the continuous efforts of BTEA in activating this cooperation, ensuring optimal utilisation of the tourism potential within the GCC countries, and reiterated the importance of fostering interdependence, partnership, and integration to foster the growth and support of the tourism sector across the GCC nations.
Source: Bahrain News Agency