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Preface
The COMCEC Strategy, adopted during the 4th Extraordinary Islamic Summit held in Makkah Al-
Mukarramah on 14-15 August 2012, envisages Working Group Meetings as one of the main
instruments for its implementation. Through the Working Groups, country experts get the
chance of elaborating the issues thoroughly in the respective cooperation areas and sharing
their good practices and experience. The Working Groups are established for each cooperation
area defined by the Strategy, namely Trade, Transport and Communication, Tourism,
Agriculture, Poverty Alleviation, and Finance.
The COMCEC Outlooks are prepared in each cooperation area of the Strategy with a view to
exploring the global trends and current situation in the OIC Member Countries in the respective
area and enriching the discussions during the Working Groups Meetings by providing up-to-
date data.
The COMCEC Tourism Outlook 2017 is prepared by Dr. Gurel CETIN, consultant at the COMCEC
Coordination Office, with the objective of providing general information on the status of tourism
in the Member States. It dwells on the major issues with regards to tourism sector development
in the light of international tourism trends, provides insights on the current status of the OIC
Member States and makes comparative analyses with the different country groupings to
demonstrate the situation in the Member States and thus the cooperation potential.
Views and opinions expressed in the report are solely those of the author and do not represent
the official views of the COMCEC Coordination Office or the Member States of the Organization
of Islamic Cooperation. Excerpts from the report can be made as long as references are
provided. All intellectual and industrial property rights for the report belong to the COMCEC
Coordination Office. This report is for individual use and it shall not be used for commercial
purposes. Except for purposes of individual use, this report shall not be reproduced in any
form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including printing, photocopying, CD
recording, or by any physical or electronic reproduction system, or translated and provided to
the access of any subscriber through electronic means for commercial purposes without the
permission of the COMCEC Coordination Office.