THE Arab Ministerial Council on Tourism (AMCT) concluded its three-day 17th session at the Arab League headquarters in Cairo. Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA) represented the state of Qatar in the meetings, which ended on Nov. 28. In addition to the Arab tourism ministers making up the AMCT Executive Bureau, this year's session was attended by the Arab Tourism Organization, UNWTO, the Arab Tourism Writers Union, the Arab Academy for Science and Technology, and the Technical Secretariat of the Arab League. Commenting on Qatar's participation in this important meeting, Issa bin Mohammed Al Mohannadi Chairman of QTA, said: “Qatar is willing to cement its role in common Arab tourism action and invigorate its AMCT membership with a view to supporting partnerships between QTA and its counterparts in the region.” “We believe in cooperation and joint actions our counterparts Arab tourism organizations. This meeting is part of the concerted efforts that the Arab countries in general and the GCC countries in particular are making to develop the Arab tourism sector and create appropriate and encouraging climates to increase the number of tourists and attract tourism investments to the region,” Al Mohannadi added. Participants in the meetings discussed several issues on the agenda, including a study by QTA on the criteria of selecting observers in AMCT meetings. Through the study, QTA proposed the creation of an AMCT observer member status. The participants also discussed a report by a subcommittee following up the implementation and development of the Arab tourism strategy, criteria for selecting youths for the “know your Arab world youth tourism” program, new criteria for restaurant quality award, and other issues that help develop the Arab tourism sector. QTA was invited to participate in the 17th AMCT session in its capacity as the organization responsible for developing the tourism sector in Qatar. Qatar is a member of the AMCT's Executive Bureau. The other participating countries in these meeting are Oman, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Palestine, Iraq, and Egypt. — SG
