Doha-Motaz Othman and Mounir El-Fishawy
Sheikh Tamim Hamad Al-Thani, the Heir Apparent, opened the meetings of the Fourth Summit on Travel and Tourism which took place in Doha between the 1st and the 3rd of May. The 110 participants were mostly ministers of tourism and high ranking officials, led by Jean-Claude Baumgarten, the President of the World Travel and Tourism Council, the organizers of the event.
The Sheikh emphasised that the summit was a unique occasion that would encourage dialogue and cooperation between the public and the private sectors. It could help shape the future of tourism and openness towards progressive trends and developments based on know-how in the technological and information age.
He added that the travel and tourism sector should make use of numerous opportunities which present themselves daily. There are many difficulties and hardships which must be challenged and overcome. The greatest challenge is achieving international peace and security in a world which is currently facing fundamental risks impeding progressive movement, cooperation and openness. Current political developments are hindering understanding, dialogue, cooperation and mutual respect between nations, cultures and civilizations.
During the press conference held before the summit, Mr. Baumgarten mentioned that European leaders discovered that tourism could create three million jobs and reduce the pressure of workers coming from ten new countries that have joined the union.
Current trends suggest that the potential of travel and tourism will be realised and that economic growth will lead to commercial gains from travel and tourism which will be one of the most important job creation industries in the European Union.
Mr. Akbar Al-Baker the Chief Executive of Qatar Airlines and head of the Tourist Board in Qatar, announced a major tourism plan with investiment reaching $15 billion. A number of proejcts are aimed at making Qatar one of the main international tourism destinations and providing the best of tourist services in a variety of sectors: cultural tourism, beach holidays, shopping, business, adventure and sports tourism.
Summit sessions
The sessions of the summit started on 1 May with the theme “Driving Change”. There were three press conferences, the first by Jean-Claude Baumgarten, the second by Akbar Al-Baker and the third by Abdul-Wahab Al-Ameen the General Secretary of the Arab Travel Council, followed by the opening session with a speech by Shiekh Timim Al-Thani and number of lectures and exchanges of views. The topics of these sessions included: assessing the present, the way forward, a new approach, the leaders take the lead in change and new directions. Intense discussions and heated debates were followed by a dinner at the Doha Golf Club.
The second day consisted of various meetings in which officials from all over the world, especially Spain and India, took part. It was also a time for private discussions and meetings at the ministerial level and discussions about the power of the news, technology in the forefront of change, awards for exemplarly services, the flow of currency, global movement, lands of opportunity and the tourism of the future. These discussions were followed by a dinner at the Ritz Hilton Hotel. The third day was dedicated to a desert safari for the participants and lunch in the desert.
There was an exhibition on the sidelines of the conference. Participants included Qatar Airlines and Islamic Tourism whose stands were of great interest. The summit ended with several statements and reccommondations, the most important being the decision to hold an annual summit at a different international venue. All the participants expressed their appreciation for the excellent organisation and generous hospitality of the organisers. |