Gambia to host 8th Islamic Conference of Tourism Ministers

The Gambia will host the eighth Islamic Conference of Tourism ministers from Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC) member states starting today Wednesday 4 to 6 December 2013 at the Kairaba Beach Hotel.

The meeting, which is seeking to look at ways of boosting tourism in OIC member states, will bring together tourism ministers from OIC member states and representatives of relevant OIC institutions, relevant regional and international organizations, among others.

The conference will examine the implementation of the OIC Framework for Development and Cooperation in the Domain of Tourism between OIC member states, in the light of the report of the Coordination Committee on facilitation and promotion of tourism in OIC member states.

Ministers are also expected to consider, among other issues, a Draft Mechanism and Criteria for the selection of OIC City of Tourism and the Draft Mechanism and Criteria for the award of OIC Seal of Excellence for Handicrafts.

Other issues of the Conference agenda include the establishment of the OIC City of Tourism for Islamic Countries and development of health tourism.

The introduction of the OIC City of Tourism Award is aimed at galvanizing intra-OIC activities in an identified city, thereby developing the socio-economic potentials of the city in question, while scaling up intra-OIC trade in goods and services.

Speaking during a press briefing at the Kairaba Beach Hotel, Fatou Mass Jobe-Njie, Minister of Tourism and Culture said the preparation of this conference was conceived in March this year with the support of President Jammeh, as well as the entire people of this country.

She thanked all the stakeholders for their participation in the conference, noting that the OIC was founded in 1959 in terms of Islamic and cultural values, as well as educational cooperation and is the OIC that unite all these countries and contributed to the bi-lateral cooperation of their countries.