Image used for representation only.
Doha, Qatar: President of the Arab Tourism Organization H E Dr. Bandar bin Fahd Al Fuhaid praised the constant development of Qatar’s tourism sector, valuing Qatar’s role in promoting Arab joint action in that field.
In his speech during the opening session of the 3rd Arab Tourism Security Forum, which kicked off Tuesday in Doha, he said that Qatar achieved significant success in 2023, represented by winning first place globally in terms of growth in the number of tourists during the first seven months of 2023, at a rate estimated at 95 percent. Dr. Al Fuhaid congratulated Qatar on this success, which coincides with the selection of Doha as the Arab Tourism Capital for 2023.
He added that Qatar’s hosting of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 and its remarkable success in organising, securing, and managing crowds constituted a rich experience from which all Arab countries would benefit in organising major international events and developing the tourism sector.
Dr Al Fuhaid expressed his gratitude to Qatar for hosting the 3rd Arab Tourism Security Forum, which is organised in cooperation between the Ministry of Interior and the Council of Arab Interior Ministers, pointing to the partnership that links the organisation with the council to develop the Arab tourism sector. He indicated that the forum comes under the title “Security and Comprehensiveness of Tourist Destinations,” which is based on pillars including green tourism, governance, digital transformation, and tourism for all. He hoped that the third forum would come out with recommendations that reinforce the second forum’s recommendations, which was held in Al Ahsa, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Capital of Arab Tourism for 2019.
Moreover, he stressed that security is the bedrock for developing tourism. He said that security and tourism are two sides of the same coin, where most Arab countries enjoy security and stability, maintain the security and safety of tourists, and secure the tourism sector in general. He also pointed out the organisation’s efforts to address the repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic and the repercussions of the pandemic were immense for the tourism sector, especially in the Arab world, where the losses exceeded more than $300bn.
Dr. Al Fuhaid stressed that the tourism sector in the Arab world has recovered by 100% after the pandemic, achieving an increase in inbound tourism that has so far exceeded more than 15% compared to the numbers recorded in 2019. For his part, the director of the Arab Bureau for Security Awareness, Information, and Human Rights, Major General Osama Mohammed Khalaf, praised choosing Doha as the Arab Tourism Capital for 2023 due to its cultural heritage, attractive tourist sites and monuments, and unparalleled development it is witnessing in various fields.
Major General Khalaf said that Qatar attracted the world’s attention during the exceptional edition of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 and succeeded in using the tournament to promote Arab and Islamic civilizational values, pointing out to Qatar’s success in securing the tournament.
The 3rd edition of the two-day Arab Tourism Security Forum kicked off on Tuesday under the title “Security and Comprehensiveness of Tourist Destinations,” as part of the activities of “Doha Arab Tourism Capital 2023.”
