Bahrain: Fatima bint Jaafar Al Sairafi, Minister of Tourism, chaired the 10th meeting of the Committee of Ministers Responsible for Tourism in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) States, held as part of the Kingdom of Bahrain's presidency of the 46th session of the GCC. The minister emphasized the ongoing support of GCC leaders for enhancing tourism cooperation and fostering coordination and integration among member states, aiming to support development and prosperity.
According to Bahrain News Agency, Al Sairafi stated that the meeting offered an opportunity to build on the progress made in GCC tourism cooperation, enhancing the sector's resilience and bolstering the GCC's position as an integrated and competitive tourism destination both regionally and internationally.
The meeting's agenda included discussions on a joint GCC action plan to accelerate the tourism sector's recovery, joint tourism promotion, GCC tourism packages and programmes, as well as strategies to strengthen the region's presence in targeted international markets. Additionally, media initiatives and the development of a GCC tourism data and indicators dashboard were also discussed.
Further topics covered in the meeting were joint marketing campaigns, the exchange of expertise in tourism statistics and data, the unified tour guide license, hotel classification guidelines, and the selection of the GCC Tourism Capital for 2027. The meeting also addressed international cooperation, and joint tourism activities and events.