CAIRO – Arab ministers of tourism, who convened in the Jordanian city and port of Aqaba a couple of weeks ago, invited the Arab League to play a greater role in the enhancement of the tourism industry in the Arab world. The Arab ministers convened in Aqaba to take part in the 14th session of the Council of Arab Ministers of Tourism. Talks started on September 30 to debate some 14 topics concerning the challenges and woes facing tourism industry in different Arab countries. A suggestion to draw up a legal agreement between the Arab League and Latin American countries was shelved on the grounds that it required further study. The Jordanian Prime Minister, who was the meeting's sponsor, gave a speech during the opening session. The key speakers included the Egyptian Minister of Tourism Mounir Fakhri Abdel Nour (the chairman of the 13th session in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh). Two of the other key speakers were Dr Haifa Abu Ghazala, the Jordanian Minister of Tourism and Antiquities (the chairwoman of this year's session) and Dina el-Husseini, head of the Arab League's delegation during the talks. The 15th session will be held in Iraq next year. In his capacity as chairman of the Federation of Arab Travel Writers and Journalists, Salah Attia (the editor of the Egyptian Gazette's Around Egypt page) said that the federation's General Secretariat should closely follow the implementation of recommendations and decisions approved by the Council of Arab Ministers of Tourism. Attia, who is an observer member in the Council of Arab Ministers of Tourism, said that the Arab League should shoulder its responsibility by receiving updates in this respect from its General Secretariat. Saudi Prince Soltan Bin Soliman, the chairman of the Higher Authority of Saudi Tourism, criticised the Arab League's shortcomings in this regard. He regretted that the Arab Leagues's Secretary-General was not present during the meeting of the Council of Arab Ministers of Tourism. “It is all the more unfortunate that the league's assistant secretary-general for economic affairs is absent,” the Saudi prince added. Aswan highlights Flipping through my diary about World Tourism Day in Aswan on September 27, I came across many of its highlights, which include the statement by Dr Taleb al-Refai, the secretary-general of the UN World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO). He paid tribute to the Egyptian officials for their admirable organisation of the World Tourism Day in the Upper Egyptian town of Aswan. Al-Refai quoted verses of the Muslim holy book of Qur'an to stress that Egypt is the land of peace. He also said: “Egypt is the sole country worldwide, in which visitors realise that they are in their second motherland.” During the press conference in the closing session, al-Refai urged the media to carefully select their political expressions in connection with certain events in countries, such as Egypt. The UNWTO secretary-general also called for a mutual dialogue between all political and democratic parties in different countries of the world to boost global tourism. Addressing the Egyptian people, al-Refai confirmed that Egypt's future is largely dependent on their local tourism industry. “The Egyptian people should be encouraged to appreciate the fundamental importance of tourism industry in their country,” he added. In his speech for the opening of global tourist festivities, al-Refai, describing travel traffic as an inexhaustible global phenomenon, estimated the number of globetrotters at 940 million every year. Underlining its fundamentally economic and development role, al-Refai said that tourism industry contributed by 5.2 per cent to the world's gross national products (GNPs). “Revenues obtained from Egypt's tourism industry are greater than from the Suez Canal,” the UNWTO secretary-general stated. “Tourism industry is the chief artery of Egypt's economy.” Al-Refai said that, in addition to travellers' changing disposition, rapidly growing technological development constituted one of the major challenges facing tourism industry in the world. In praising the January 25 revolution, the global organisation's he declared that the revolution) had drawn world attention to the Egyptian people much more than to the motherland herself. “The Egyptian people are admired by the nations of the world,” al-Refai stated. Egyptian-Greek partnership The Greek Minister of Tourism and Culture Pavlos Yeroulanos drew a rosy picture of the tourism industry in the coming 15 years. He based his optimism on the emergence of new tourist markets in China, India and Latin America. Yeroulsnos suggested an Egyptian-Greek partnership should have a strong foothold in these markets. He further proposed that the Egyptian and Greek tourist sectors should organise joint marketing and publicity programmes in the emerging markets. Yeroulanos disclosed that his family used to be part of the large Greek community in Egypt. “My family lived in Alexandria,” he said proudly adding, “Many of my relatives refused to leave the Egyptian coastal city.” Positive Indonesian lesson The Indonesian Minister of Tourism and Culture Gede Ardika highlighted the principle of tolerance in his country, which had become a positive environment for peaceful and interactive co-existence of religions. He explained that such an environment had encouraged the tourism industry in his country to prosper. “This is because the main goal of tourism industry is the display of different cultures and traditions deeply rooted in society.” The Indonesian minister recalled the previous bitter experience of local tourism. “But several years ago, Indonesians changed their attitude towards their local tourism,” he explained in his speech during the opening ceremony of the World Tourism Day in Aswan. Ardika elaborated: “Indonesian tourist officials developed ambitious strategies to upgrade tourism industry and put it on the proper track. Indonesians in different sectors played a major role in the achievements of these ambitions, especially after the nation's vast diversity of cultures, traditions, religions and races were employed to display Indonesia and draw the attention of bigger number of its admirers in different world countries.” He also said that his government had opened channels of talks and negotiations with radical clergymen to explore shared grounds, which could help uproot extremism and terrorism. The Indonesian minister declared that his government had successfully persuaded extremists and radicals to abandon their controversial thoughts in favour of the state. Thriving German market Dr Michael Frenzel, the executive chairman of one of the largest German companies stated that Germany was contributing by 15 per centto the number of tourists in Egypt. He described tourism as an ‘expertise-transferring industry,' explaining, “For example, German tourists in Egypt transfer the Egyptian experiences to Germany and in the meantime draw the attention of the Egyptian people to the German experience.” The German official revealed that the number of Germans planning to visit Egypt was increasing. “Egypt's admirers in Germany have rapidly increased after the great event this year.” Dr. Frenzel urged that dialogue proposed to bring different cultures together should be enhanced. He called upon Egyptian officials to pay special interest to basic infrastructure to upgrade quality of services offered to tourists. Plying the Nile again Addressing the closing session, the Egyptian Minister of Tourism Mounir Fakhri Abdel Nour said that Egypt's tourism and the nation's extraordinary landscapes could be compared to an inexhaustible oil field. He announced that Nile cruisers would resume their voyages between Cairo and Luxor in November. “The resumption of these Nile journeys will be welcomed by millions of Egypt's enthusiasts in different countries.” Prosperous year The UNWTO secretary-general enhanced speculations that Egypt's tourism would thrive and prosper in 2012. “Due to its great experience in tourism industry and thanks to its huge tourist potentials and items, Egypt will succeeded in achieving its ambitions in 2012,” he predicted.
