The eighth Arab Tourist Media Forum called To Cope With the Times will begin in Cairo on Thursday under the auspices of the Egyptian Tourism Activation Authority. The forum is known since the major platform for discussing issues related to Arab tourism media. The forum is the largest gathering of journalists focusing on tourism and representatives of tourism media platforms. Fifteen media professionals from across the Arab region will take part in the forum to discuss the tourism challenges facing some Arab countries. Chairman of the Arab Centre for Tourism Media Hussain Al Manna'ei said the forum will host journalists, hosts, and producers specialised in tourism media from all over the Arab world including Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Algeria, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Lebanon, Bahrain, Iraq, Morocco, Bahrain, Sudan, Tunisia, Yemen, and Egypt. The forum will discuss means of supporting two-way tourism between Arab countries, especially in countries affected by the recent political events. He further highlighted that Arab media personals operate from the ground, witnessing the stable situation in Egypt. "They will head to Aswan to learn more about the safe tourist areas in Egypt," he said. The eighth session of the forum this year aims to promote and develop tourism media in the Arab world. Several leading institutions will take part in the activities of the forum, including Flynas, Saudi Arabia's national carrier, the Ritz Carlton Nile Hotel, the Egyptian Tourism Activation Authority, the Aswan Governorate, and the Tour Guides Syndicate. The forum is held in Egypt annually to shed light on the experiences of tourism media and discuss the challenges facing it. Executive Assistant Manager and Director of Sales and Marketing at the Nile Ritz-Carlton in Cairo Tawfik Mokhtar said Arab tourism is important. He praised Arabs' roles in supporting Egyptian tourism over the past years, noting the increasing number of tourists from Saudi Arabia, the Gulf, and Jordan. The hotel is ready to host this important event. The Arab Centre for Tourist Media was founded in 2008 to promote and stimulate inter-Arab tourism in the latest fashion. The centre includes 14 Arab committees and institutions specialised in local and Arab tourism. The centre implements a number of volunteer tourist programmes in the Arab world.
