Titled, ‘Tourism and Sustainable Development’, the event will be held in the presence of H E Maitha Saif al Mahrouqi, Undersecretary in MoT and Dr Bandar bin Fahd al Fahid, chairman of Arab Tourism Organization, stated a press release.

Arab Tourism Day is celebrated on February 24 every year to celebrate the birth of Arab scholar Ibn Battuta and the significant historic role of his travels and excursions around the world. The event will also pay tribute to the famous traveller.

The celebration also aims at highlighting the cultural and tourist landmarks in the Arab countries. This is within the sustainable development through various programmes that come within the objectives of the Arab Ministerial Council for Tourism and the Arab Tourism Organization in efforts to make the Arab region a tourist destination.

This year, the theme of Arab Tourism Day aims to implement the principles of sustainable development in different tourism destinations. This ensures their long-term sustainability without compromising the specific environmental, cultural, social and economic components of each country. An exhibition will also be held on the sidelines of the event.

It will present initiatives and projects that will shed light on the efforts made by the SMEs, the public and private sector. The exhibition will also feature a glimpse of the sultanate’s heritage. The event will also celebrate Omani tourist guides on the occasion of the International Day of the Tourist Guide, which falls on February 21.

MoT will also honour the tour guides in conjunction with the celebration of the International Tourist Guide Day, with the participation of the Arab Tourism Organization and in the presence of officials from the ministry and representatives from the tourism sector.