COMCEC Tourism Outlook-2018
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utilization of the full range of tools and strategies including among others, provision of clear,
updated information and prompt responses to investor inquiries, updated investment
promotion websites, effective coordination among relevant stakeholders, providing
infrastructure (including road networks, electricity, etc.), allocation of land for specific tourism
projects, effective incentive packages, easy procedures and financial support for the local
tourism SMEs as well as foreign entrepreneurs and utilization of alternative investment
financing options such as crowdfunding.
The 4th Meeting of the COMCEC TourismWorking Group was held on September 4th, 2014 with
the theme of “Enhancing the Capacity of Tourism Workforce in the OIC Member Countries for
Improved Tourism Service Quality.” The participants deliberated on tourism workforce
capacity, identify the challenges faced by the Member Countries as well as possible solutions to
address these challenges. The Meeting provided opportunity to the Member Countries to learn
from each other’s experience and good practices. During this meeting, TourismWorking Group
discussed two policy options:
 Developing Tourism Workforce Development Strategies in the Member States and
supporting the effective implementation of the existing ones
 The importance of enhancing the capacity of tourism workforce in the member
countries.
The policy recommendations of the 4th Meeting of the TourismWorking Group were submitted
to the 30th Ministerial Session of the COMCEC held on 25-28 November 2014 in İstanbul. The
30th Session of the COMCEC commended the efforts of the Working Groups towards
approximating policies among the Member States in their field of competence and took note of
the policy recommendations of the TourismWorking Group.
The 5th Meeting of COMCEC Tourism Working Group was held with the theme of “Travel
Facilitation for Enhancing Mobility in the OIC Member Countries” on February 5th, 2015. In line
with the recommendations of the analytical study and the responses of the Member Countries
to the policy questions, which were circulated before the Meeting, the Working Group put
forward two policy recommendations in the meeting:
 Encouraging visa facilitation among the Member Countries;
 Developing air linkages and increasing the airline capacity were highlighted by tourism
working group.
The 6th Meeting of the Tourism Working Group was held on September 3rd, 2015 with theme
of “Effective TourismMarketing Strategies: ICT-Based Solutions for the OIC Member Countries.”
The Representatives of the Member States have shared their experiences, achievements and
challenges on ICT-based tourism marketing in their respective countries. The Meeting has
considered the Studies "Effective TourismMarketing Strategies: ICT-Based Solutions for the OIC
Member Countries" commissioned by the COMCEC Coordination Office and the "COMCEC
TourismOutlook 2015" prepared by the COMCEC Coordination Office. The Meeting has come up
with a set of policy recommendations: