Egypt to Head Executive Office of Arab Ministerial Council for Tourism for Second Time

Egypt's Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, Ahmed Issa, chaired the 33rd session of the Executive Office of the Arab Ministerial Council for Tourism was held in Doha, Qatar. The meeting was attended by tourism ministers from the Arab countries that are members of the Executive Office, including ministers from Tunisia and Somalia, the Deputy Minister of Tourism of the Sultanate of Oman, and officials from the Arab Tourism Organization, World Tourism Organization, and League of Arab States.

During the meeting, participants discussed ways to enhance cooperation, coordination and integration in joint Arab action that can contribute to anticipating future prospects for a better tomorrow. The Minister emphasized the importance of the tourism sector, which is one of the fastest growing and most influential economic sectors globally, and has proven its ability to recover quickly from crises.

The Minister noted that the Middle East region led the recovery process from the Coronavirus this year and achieved tourism numbers that exceeded the pre-pandemic numbers by up to 20%, making it the only region in the world whose tourism arrivals exceeded 2019. He also referred to the national strategy for tourism development in Egypt, which was launched in November 2022, and the efforts made by the Egyptian state to support and advance the tourism industry, including major developments in infrastructure.

Overall, the meeting was aimed at discussing important and effective recommendations and decisions that serve the Arab world, and participants expressed their appreciation to the State of Qatar and the General Secretariat of the League of Arab States for organizing the event.