BTEA participates in GCC meeting on tourism

Riyadh, Nov. 14 (BNA): The Kingdom of Bahrain, represented by the Bahrain Tourism and Exhibitions Authority (BTEA), took part in the Undersecretaries of the Tourism Ministries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) preparatory meeting for the 6th meeting of the Committee of GCC Tourism Ministers, held in Al-Ula, in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Bahrain’s delegation was headed by Dr Nasser Qaedi, the CEO of Bahrain Tourism and Exhibitions Authority. The preparatory meeting discussed a spectrum of topics, namely GCC tourism, adopted recommendations aimed at uplifting the GCC tourism industry, and submitted recommendations to the 6th meeting of the Committee of GCC Tourism Ministers. The Undersecretaries took note of the Secretariat General Memorandum regarding the final communiqué and the Riyadh Declaration of the 42nd Session of the GCC Supreme Council, which contained assertions on the importance of preserving GCC gains and achievements, exerting greater efforts to accomplish the objectives set forth in the GCC Charter, and directives to strengthen joint cooperation, dialogue and partnership among GCC countries, neighboring and friendly countries, and effective collaboration with international and regional organizations. Dr Nasser Qaedi highlighted that the tourism industry in the GCC countries is experiencing wider growth and prosperity, noting that tourism is one of the key drivers of GCC economies. The CEO of Bahrain Tourism and Exhibitions Authority pointed out that the Kingdom of Bahrain underlines the importance of GCC tourism collaboration. He asserted that Bahrain is steadily progressing towards increasing the tourism sector’s contribution to the GDP through the new tourism strategy (2022-2026), which focuses on promoting Bahrain as an international tourism hub and diversifying tourism products.