… Adopt Islamabad declaration on tourism cooperation 2023
Members of Developing-8 (D-8) an organisation for development co-operation among Member State have agreed to strengthen cooperation in tourism sector.
They stated this during their Fourth Senior Officials and Third Ministerial meetings which held in Bhurban Murree, Pakistan.
The meeting which was hosted by Pakistan Tourism Development Authority (PTDC), brought together ministers responsible for tourism, high-level officials, policymakers, private sector representatives and experts from member states to deliberate and collaborate on enhancing tourism cooperation within the D-8 framework.
The two-day event also served as a platform for dialogue, exchange of ideas, and the formulation of strategies aimed at promoting sustainable tourism development among the D-8 member states, which include Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Nigeria, Pakistan, and Turkiye.
The Meetings were chaired by H.E. Awn Chaudhry, Advisor to the Prime Minister on Tourism and Sports of Pakistan and the Chairman of the PTDC, Mr. Aftab Ur Rehman Rana.
In his welcome remarks, H.E. Awn Chaudry briefed the meeting on Pakistan’s efforts to promote its tourism.
He emphasized the crucial role of the tourism sector in the sustainable development and economic growth of the Member States.
He also encouraged the Member States to further strengthen their existing cooperation in the tourism sector.
Also speaking, the D-8 Secretary-General, Ambassador Isiaka Abdulqadir Imam, highlighted the progress of D-8’s tourism cooperation and the adverse effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on tourism cooperation.
He emphasized the importance of implementing the D-8 Comprehensive Strategy on Tourism Cooperation and the Crescent Moon Initiative, which were adopted by D-8 ministers in 2019.
The Secretary-General also highlighted the significance of tourism for D-8 Member States’ economic recovery and praised the idea of D-8 Designated Airports to facilitate people-to-people and business-to-business interactions.
He requested policy guidelines from the Ministers to support the organization’s objectives in the tourism sector and suggested tangible programs like information exchange, best practices exchange, and cross-border investments. The ultimate goal is to create world-class tourist destinations in all D-8 Member States.
Also, the Ministers and Heads of Delegation from the D-8 Member States delivered their remarks, emphasizing the importance of fostering existing tourism collaboration, implementing agreed documents, the D-8 Comprehensive Tourism Strategy, and Crescent Moon initiatives.
They also encouraged tourism stakeholders to share their experiences, success stories, knowledge and expertise in order to collaborate and promote quality, inclusive, and sustainable tourism D-8 member countries.
The meeting adopted the land mark document Islamabad Declaration on Tourism Cooperation 2023, which contain the key decisions taken at the meeting such as: “Develop funding facilities to support the D-8 Project Funding Programme for tourism cooperation.
“Develop a mechanism for selecting the D-8 Tourism City of the Year.
“To organize an annual Forum on Investment Promotion in the Tourism Sector.
“To make the tourist visa application process easier in accordance with national regulations”
The meeting also acknowledged the role of the private sector in the tourism industry and agreed to develop a mechanism to assist industry stakeholders in promoting tourism activities among D-8 member states. The meeting also emphasized the importance of creating airlinks as connectivity is a critical component in promoting tourism.
