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COMCEC Tourism Outlook-2016

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which have notified their focal points for the TourismWorking Group and representatives of the

COMCEC Coordination Office, SESRIC and Islamic Center for Development of Trade (ICDT) and

some private sector representatives. The COMCEC Tourism Outlook and an analytical study

namely “Tourism Product Development and Marketing Strategies” have been prepared and

submitted to the Meeting. The representatives of the Member States have shared their

experiences, achievements and challenges in tourism product development and marketing

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 programmes,

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

(www.comcec.org)

.

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