Arab ministers meeting took ambitious decisions to remedy tourism problems

Moroccan tourism minister Hassan Sebbar who took part in the 2nd session of the Arab ministerial council on tourism held in Sanaa (Yemen) said the session adopted an ambitious program to overcome problems hindering the development of tourism in the Arab states.

The minister told MAP that participants addressed problems facing Arab tourism and causes of its weak performance and means to increase the flow of tourists among Arab countries.

He regretted that out of the 625 million tourists, the Arab world only gets a 3% share.

He also deplored the low level of tourism flows among Arab states, pointing out that about 50% of Arab tourists spend their holidays out of the Arab states while only 18% of Europeans spend their holidays out of Europe. He added that this percentage will reach 37% in 2020.

He added that the Sanaa meeting made a series of recommendations, mainly to encourage and facilitate the transport of tourists, implementation of encouraging prices for tourists, carrying on the opening of air spaces to air companies and opening sea lines between Arab ports.