11 October 2014
Acting Assistant Undersecretary for Tourism Attended the Preparatory GGC Undersecretaries Meeting
H.E Sheikh Khalid bin Hamood Al Khalifa, the Acting Assistant Undersecretary for Tourism, has taken part in the Preparatory Meeting of the Undersecretaries for Tourism Affairs, held in Kuwait in October 2014. Later in the week tourism ministers of the Gulf Cooperation Council states will discuss ways to upgrade tourism facilities in the region to international levels.
The Preparatory Meeting of the Undersecretaries for Tourism discussed the unified regulations of ministerial committees and reviewed the report of the Secretariat on the Tourism Cooperation Committee's achievements during the past year. Also discussed was the framing of unified domestic regulations.
H.E Sheikh Khalid bin Hamood Al Khalifa, the Acting Assistant Undersecretary for Tourism, said that the meeting dealt with Bahrain’s proposition with regard to inter-GCC tourism development, stressing the importance of the two reports to be presented by H.E Shaikha Mai Bint Mohammad Al-Khalifa, Minister of Culture, on Tuesday 14th October 2014. The first report concerns the Chart on the Urban Heritage Preservation in Arab World, and the efforts made to implement its resolutions.The second report will discuss the achievements of Arab Ministerial Council Meeting, chaired by Bahrain as president of the 16th session of the Joint Council meeting.
The Tourism Cooperation Council was established in 2002 by the Secretariat in Riyadh and continued its activities until 2013, when the council’s meeting had been elevated to ministerial level in line with a proposal by the President of the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities Prince Sultan bin Salman.
The meeting will discuss topics such as the issue of common tourist visas, significance of private participation in the tourism sector and setting up of a Gulf Federation for Handicrafts.
In another development, the General Cultural Committee of the GCC will meet in Kuwait to discuss ways to strengthen a sense of Gulf identity and patriotism among the citizens especially with joint cultural activities of the member countries, on Sunday. The meeting will also discuss various aspects of the plan for cultural activities for 2014-2015.
Other topics to be focused on in the meeting include cultural cooperation between GCC countries, other countries, blocs in different parts of the world, the launching of a Center for Translation and Arabicizing in Oman, and adoption of the Arabic language for the United Nations deliberations.
