Minister Hayek and his Indonesian counterpart sign a memorandum of understanding to attract Islamic tourism to Palestine

BETHLEHEM-Ma'an- Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Hani Hayek signed a memorandum of understanding with his counterpart, Indonesian Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy Sandiaga Uno Salahuddin, in the presence of the Palestinian Ambassador to Indonesia, Ambassador Dr. Zuhair Al-Shan, and a delegation from the Palestinian private tourism sector. Al-Hayek stressed the depth of the historical relations between Palestine and Indonesia, emphasizing the importance of this memorandum in promoting Islamic tourism to Palestine, especially since Indonesia is one of the countries that can overcome the obstacle of entering Palestine due to the occupation. Al-Hayek said that visiting Palestine in these difficult times is the best evidence of visiting the prisoner and not the jailer, and will contribute greatly to strengthening the steadfastness of the Palestinian people on their land in light of what they are exposed to as a result of the Israeli war. Al-Hayek spoke about the situation in the region, discussing th e great destruction that befell cultural and tourist heritage sites as a result of the aggression. He stressed that the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities is working to adopt a set of plans and programs that will ensure the return of tourism activity to Palestine immediately after the end of the war and aggression on the Gaza Strip. These plans and programs will ensure the return of the tourism sector to its former glory as a beacon for tourist groups from various countries of the world. Ministers Al-Hayek and Salah Al-Din called on the tourism sectors in Palestine and Indonesia to achieve direct networking between them and remove obstacles to achieve the best visit to Palestine for Indonesian tourist groups and within Palestinian tourism programs and users of Palestinian tourism facilities. In turn, the Palestinian Ambassador to Indonesia, Dr. Zuhair Al-Shan, praised this memorandum, pointing out the importance of developing and activating tourism between the two countries, especially since Indonesia is c onsidered one of the most important countries supporting Palestine and the Palestinian cause. The Palestinian delegation held a workshop with representatives of the private Indonesian tourism sector, to demonstrate the potential of the Palestinian tourism sector to attract new categories of the Indonesian people. Mr. Majed Ishaq, Director General of Tourism Marketing at the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, presented a video presentation on the reality of the Palestinian tourism sector and its potential. Source: Maan News Agency