COMCEC Tourism Outlook 2017
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strategies in their respective countries as well as explore cooperation potential among each
other. The Meeting highlighted that tourism product development and marketing requires
effective collaboration among different stakeholders. It was stressed that because of its
competitive nature, effective marketing requires utilization of the full range of tools available
including among others PR activities, e-marketing, social media, etc. Some recommendations
have been made for enhancing cooperation among the Member Countries in the field of product
development and marketing. These were, among others, introducing award programs,
conducting joint exhibitions, developing joint tourism products, organizing exchange programs
for experts and developing joint data base for tourism products among the Member Countries.
Moreover, Proceedings of the Second Meeting of the TourismWorking Group, which reflects the
outcomes of the Meeting was prepared and published on the COMCEC Website
.
The 3rd Meeting of the COMCEC Tourism Working Group was held on March 4th, 2014 in
Ankara, Turkey with the theme of “Enabling Tourism Investment Climate in the OIC Member
Countries.” The Meeting was attended by the representatives of 14 Member States, which have
notified their focal points for the TourismWorking Group and representatives of SESRIC, Islamic
Center for Development of Trade (ICDT), International Finance Corporation (IFC) and
representatives from private sector. The Representatives of the Member States have shared
their experiences, achievements and challenges regarding tourism investments in their
respective countries. Moreover, the Studies titled “Enabling Tourism Investment Climate:
Challenges and Prospects for Tourism Investments in the OIC Member Countries” commissioned
by the COMCEC Coordination Office and the “COMCEC Tourism Outlook 2014” prepared by the
COMCEC Coordination Office were the main inputs for enriching the discussions during the
Meeting. The presentations and deliberations made during the meeting highlighted that
governments play a crucial role for creating an enabling investment climate for tourism
investors. It was stressed that creating an enabling tourism investment climate requires
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