Saudi city of Al-Ahsa named ‘Capital of Arab Tourism’ for 2019

The Arab Ministerial Council on Tourism (AMCT) named - at its 21st session in Alexandria, Egypt in the presence of the Arab Ministers of Tourism and the heads of the Arab organizations and federations - the Saudi city of Al-Ahsa as “Capital of Arab Tourism” for 2019, after fulfilling all the terms of reference prepared by the Arab Tourism Organization (ATO).

Also, the council awarded Saudi Prince Sultan Bin Salman - honorary President of the Arab Tourism Organization and Chairman and President of the Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage - an honorary doctorate in human and social sciences from the Arab Academy for Science, Technology and Maritime Transport.

For his part, President of Arab Tourism Organization (ATO) Dr. Bandar bin Fahd Al Fuhaid stressed that the Arab Ministerial Council on Tourism emphasized the historical, cultural and touristic status of Al-Ahsa, pointing out that its choice as Capital of Arab Tourism for 2019 will promote the increase and development of tourism revenues for Al-Ahsa province in particular and for the Eastern region in Saudi Arabia in general.

In a related context, Al Fuhaid said: “The proposal of the Bahrain Tourism and Exhibitions Authority (BTI) regarding the activation of tourist information and statistics to support the Arab strategy for tourism has been approved by providing a specific regulatory framework that includes the exchange of tourism data among the Arab countries. The proposed vision was adopted by the Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage to activate the joint work between the tourism and cultural sectors in the Arab countries and employ them to serve Arab tourism.”