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 TourismOutlook 2016 is prepared by Ms. Aslı TAŞMAZ DADAKOĞLU, expert at the

COMCEC Coordination Office, with the objective of providing general information on the status

of tourism sector 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.