Arab Tourism Ministerial Council calls for unified Arab visa

The Arab tourism ministerial council, at the end of its first meeting in Damascus Tuesday, called for a unified visa for foreign tourists wishing to visit one of the Arab states, similar to the Shengen visa in force in some European states.

The council, which opened Monday, decided to submit the issue to the upcoming meeting of the Arab interior ministerial council.

The meeting underlined the need to promote inter-Arab tourism and achieve tourism integration, as a step towards full economic integration between Arab states.

It also called for the adoption of open air space for Arab national carriers, lower travel rates and cancel visa requirements for inter-Arab travel.

The ministers also called for the promotion of joint tourism activities, such as Arab joint festivals, and recommended the unification of hotel classification and transport facilities.

A project to set up a tourism institute in Lebanon was adopted and will be submitted to the Arab and economic and social council's upcoming meeting.

They proclaimed the year 2000 as a year of tourism in this region. They designated 1999 as the year of tourism in Syria and Lebanon and decided to hold its next session in Yemen on 22 and 23 June of the coming years.