Tourism ministers of the Gulf Cooperation Council states will discuss ways to upgrade tourism facilities in the region to international levels at a meeting in Kuwait on Tuesday.

“A preparatory meeting of the undersecretaries for tourism affairs of the member countries will discuss framing of unified domestic regulations and review the report of the secretariat on the efforts made by the Council of Tourism Cooperation of the GCC over the past years to promote joint tourism in the member countries,” Assistant Secretary General for Cultural and Media Affairs of the GCC Khaled Al-Ghassani said in a statement to the Saudi Press Agency on Friday.

The council’s meeting has been elevated to ministerial level in line with a proposal by President of the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities Prince Sultan bin Salman.

Al-Ghassani added that the meeting will discuss topics such as the issue of common tourist visa, significance of the private participation in the tourism sector and setting up of a Gulf federation for handicrafts.

In another development, the General Cultural Committee of the GCC will meet in Kuwait to discuss ways to strengthen a sense of Gulf identity and patriotism among the citizens especially with joint cultural activities of the member countries, on Sunday. The meeting will also discuss various aspects of the plan for cultural activities for 2014-2015.

Other topics to be focused on in the meeting include cultural cooperation between the GCC countries and other countries and blocs in different parts of the world, launching of a center for translation and Arabicizing in Oman and adoption of the Arabic language for the United Nations deliberations.