RIYADH, 8 October — Prince Sultan, second deputy premier, minister of defense and aviation, and chairman of the Supreme Commission on Tourism, has called for sustainable development of tourism with due regard for Islamic and cultural values as well as environmental concerns, while tapping it as a source for stimulating the national economies.
Prince Sultan was inaugurating here last night the third OIC Conference of Tourism Ministers that has brought together ministers from 56 member states of the Organization of Islamic Conference at King Faisal Hall.
Prince Sultan ibn Salman, secretary-general of SCT, Francesco Frangialli, secretary-general of the World Tourism Conference, and Datuk Abdul Kadir ibn Haji Sheikh Fadzir, interim chairman of the conference and Malaysia’s Minister of Tourism were among those present. Prince Sultan referred to the economic potential of tourism in the Islamic world with a population of over one billion.
“Tourism has become a great economic industry. Today we need more than ever to achieve mutual cooperation between our countries and peoples to enhance the economic development, and provide job opportunities to our sons and the coming generations.”
However, Prince Sultan cautioned, “we should launch our efforts in a way that reflects the noble principles of our great religion of Islam, which calls for making of man, societies and nations in a secure and stable environment, where constructive cooperation and mutual respect prevail.”
Earlier, Datuk Abdul Kadir proposed the establishment of an OIC Center for Tourism Development and undertook the responsibility to fully finance it. He hoped that the proposal would be viewed favorably by the conference.
The Malaysian minister said tourism has been identified as one of the 10 areas of cooperation in the OIC Plan of Action that seeks to bolster economic and commercial cooperation among member countries.
Pointing out that there were tremendous opportunities and benefits in promoting intra-travel among the OIC member states, the minister said: “We must have a shared vision to make tourism a catalyst and an instrument not only for socio-economic growth and development of member countries but also in establishing peace, understanding and unity of the Ummah.”
Frangialli said tourism has gained momentum in the Muslim countries, which have consolidated themselves as successful destinations on the world tourism map.
The moving spirit behind this trend is Islam, which encourages travel in the quest for exploring the mysteries of the universe and its inherent knowledge.
