Hijjah 25, 1431 / Dec. 01, 2010, SPA -- The Seventh Session of the Islamic Conference of Tourism Ministers (ICTM) convened today in Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran. The opening ceremony was attended by Ministers and Heads of delegations from 29 OIC countries, the Secretary General of Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) and representative of nine OIC institutions and the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO). The meeting endorsed the Tehran Declaration and resolutions on tourism development which included a provision for the OIC General Secretariat to initiate, in consultation with Member States, an annual "OIC City of Tourism" Award in recognition of exceptional contributions to the improvement of tourism in the OIC Member States. This initiative is aimed at boosting tourism in the Islamic world and encouraging the implementation of the OIC Framework Document on Tourism. The meeting urged the OIC Member States to encourage and facilitate joint tourism ventures and other investments by the private sector in the expansion and upgrading of the existing tourist capacities and activities. It also called for the construction of new tourist facilities of appropriate quality and service standards, using up-to-date technologies. --More
