Participants at a tourism conference in Alexandria on Wednesday also called for ways and means to improve the tourist industry in the Arab world.

"This conference deliberated on visa policy in particular and the promotion of tourism in general all over the Arab world," the Arab League’s Deputy Secretary-General Mohammed Ibrahim Altuwaijri told Arab News.

Saudi-born Altuwaijri said the agenda of the conference was also to encourage world powers to put pressure on Israel to stop bombing Palestinian tourism sites.

"Although Palestine is receiving tourists, the numbers can increase manifold if the visa policy is properly addressed by all Arab countries. Currently, tourists have to enter Palestine via Jordan or Israel," said Nida' M. Alayasa, director of the Palestinian Tourism Ministry’s handicraft department.

Alexandria is the tourism capital of the Arab world for 2010.

Yemeni capital Sana’a held that title last year, and the country’s tourism minister Nabil Hassan Faqeeh claimed that local tourism infrastructure, investment in tourist sites and the flow of visitors into Yemen had improved despite the world economic crisis.

Yemen is concentrating its efforts on improving its tourist infrastructure and facilities despite suffering from financial problems and other constraints.

Addressing the conference, Altuwaijri said tourists visiting the Arab world had increased by four percent, while tourism revenue grew by 11 percent during the investment-shy year of 2009.

Investments were less than expected due to the global economic crisis that impacted the Arab world too, although not to the extent other parts of the world were affected.

He said tourist numbers in Egypt had increased to 12.5 million, while its income from tourism was $10.8 billion.

The country today boasts 215,000 rooms in hotels and other tourist facilities, while 199,000 more rooms were under construction.

Altuwaijri said efforts were continuing to improve the Kingdom’s tourist infrastructure, but the government’s main focus was on developing religious tourism.

Alexandria Gov. Adel Labib said a number of educational and cultural events would mark the year.

"We will also pursue our commitment to improve our tourist infrastructure as part of Alexandria being made the tourism capital of the Arab world for 2010,” he said.