Baku (UNA) - Dr. Ahmed Koisa Sengendu emphasized in his speech delivered on behalf of Hussein Ibrahim Taha, Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, at the Senior Staff Preparatory Meeting for the Eleventh Session of the Islamic Conference of Tourism Ministers held in Baku, Azerbaijan, from 27-29 June 2022, that tourism, in addition to its economic benefits, plays a vital role in promoting solidarity in the Islamic Ummah and international understanding. The speech emphasized that tourism development has always been a major concern of the entire OIC family, because the exchange of services in the tourism sector has always contributed to the growth and development of the economies of the 57 OIC Member States, whether in the era before or after the COVID-19 pandemic. The speech acknowledged the importance of this meeting regarding the implementation of OIC decisions in the field of tourism, taking into account the fact that the COVID-19 pandemic has severely affected the tourism sector due to the closure of borders, which has reduced tourism transportation and tourism demand. Therefore, the OIC speech stressed that one of the main tasks before the organization during this difficult period is to increase cooperation efforts by improving coordination of tourism policies, developing Islamic tourism, facilitating domestic tourism, tourism training, investment opportunities and developing tourism infrastructure. The organization also called on members and institutions to exert more efforts to exploit the great potential in the tourism sector available in member states. Also speaking at the opening session of the senior staff meeting was Mr. Kenan Gasimov, from the State Travel Agency of Azerbaijan, and witnessed the handover of the chairmanship of the session from Bangladesh as the chair of the tenth session to Azerbaijan as the chair of the eleventh session. (I finish)
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