Kuwait City: Fatima bint Jaafar Al Sairafi, Minister of Tourism, attended the ninth preparatory meeting of the GCC Ministers Responsible for Tourism. The meeting was chaired by Abdulrahman Al Mutairi, Minister of Information and Culture of Kuwait, and was also attended by Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi, GCC Secretary General. The minister emphasized the potential of GCC countries to lead the regional and global tourism sector.
According to Bahrain News Agency, Minister Al Sairafi highlighted Bahrain's success in drawing a high number of visitors from the GCC in 2024, coinciding with Manama's selection as the GCC Tourism Capital. She noted Bahrain's commitment to hosting year-round tourism and entertainment events catering to a range of visitor preferences. This includes expanding leisure, hospitality, and shopping options through exclusive travel and accommodation packages for GCC tourists.
Minister Al Sairafi stressed the importance of enhancing joint efforts among GCC countries to market the region as an integrated tourism destination. She pointed out the development of a comprehensive tourism ecosystem to support the growth of the travel and tourism sector, attract more visitors, and bolster tourism-related industries. In 2023, international tourist arrivals to the GCC increased by 42.8% compared to 2019, with international tourism revenues growing by 28% over the same period.
Furthermore, Al Sairafi highlighted Bahrain's 2022-2026 tourism strategy, which prioritizes the GCC market as a key target audience. She reiterated Bahrain's dedication to further coordinating with GCC countries to launch joint tourism initiatives, enhance regional tourism offerings, and promote the region as a unified destination.
The meeting also reviewed the progress made in implementing decisions from the eighth session, held in Doha in 2024. This included various projects, initiatives, and objectives related to the development of tourism across GCC countries. The ministers discussed several key topics concerning the sector, such as the Gulf tourism strategy and plans for further cooperation between the tourism and cultural sectors, to enhance joint tourism efforts among GCC countries.