Qatar’s success in securing major events imposes itself on the work of the Third Arab Forum for Tourism Security

Key Issues

The experience of the State of Qatar and its success in hosting and securing major events, including the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, has imposed itself on the work of the Third Arab Tourism Security Meeting. Due to the nature of this global sporting event, which attracts millions of visitors from different cultures and environments, which imposes an integrated vision in management, organization, security and services of the highest standards.

During the conference sessions, the participants, including ministers, experts and heads of organizations concerned with tourism, presented the State of Qatar as a pioneering and inspiring model in its security, legislative, regulatory and service system related to the tourism sector, which embodied the comprehensive concept of security.

The participants stressed that Qatar's experience in securing visitors to the country during major events, including the World Cup, represents a global reference and a source of inspiration for many countries, especially Arab ones, which are preparing to host major events, revitalize their tourism sector, and receive visitors from all over the world.

Engineer Walid Nassar, Minister of Tourism in the Lebanese caretaker government, said during a session held today within the forum: Organizing and securing a major tournament such as the FIFA World Cup represents a challenge for any country, and the State of Qatar was able to achieve great success in organizing, managing and securing the tournament, which made its experience the focus of attention. the world He continued: “The State of Qatar was facing a great challenge and it succeeded in this challenge, so that its experience in organizing the tournament and securing visitors became a source of pride for all Arabs, and the experiences it gained are also extremely important for organizing major events in the region.”

He added that coordination, cooperation and partnership between various parties in securing tourism events and providing a safe environment for tourists is a prerequisite for success, which is inspired by the Qatari experience in the World Cup, stressing the necessity of working according to a unified and shared vision to ensure the desired success.

In turn, the Yemeni Minister of Information, Tourism and Culture, Muammar Mutahar Al-Eryani, said during the forum: The State of Qatar organized the largest sporting events in the world, and now hosts many different events that attract millions of visitors, leaving a lasting legacy for the Arab and Islamic world and the entire world.

He added that the State of Qatar and other Gulf countries have success stories in the tourism field, which requires benefiting from them. He called for setting a vision and a unified legislative reference to strengthen the tourism components legislatively, infrastructure and comprehensive security.

Dr. Bandar bin Fahad Al Fuhid, President of the Arab Tourism Organization, noted in a speech during the forum the growing development of the tourism sector in the State of Qatar, and also appreciated the Qatari role in promoting joint Arab action in this field.

He said that the State of Qatar's hosting of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 and its remarkable success in organising, securing and managing crowds constituted a rich experience from which all Arab countries would benefit in organizing major international events.

For his part, Engineer Al-Hamidi Al-Anazi, CEO of the Arab Satellite Communications Corporation (Arabsat), said: The Arab Gulf countries have succeeded in transferring tourism from traditional thought to a new, open space that keeps pace with new developments, in addition to developing tourism services and enhancing tourism security, whether in facilities or At the level of tourist protection according to its comprehensive security perspective.

In this context, he noted the experience of the State of Qatar in sports tourism, and its ability to create, innovate, achieve, and exploit technology in providing advanced tourism services, which contributed to making the 2022 World Cup experience more enjoyable and easier for all visitors, tourists and athletes.

In addition, Major General Dr. Ihab Al-Amawi from the Egyptian Police Academy and a security expert in combating terrorism, organized crime and information security, said: The State of Qatar has transformed the concept of security into a civilized message and a comprehensive service with high-level standards according to a scientific approach in accordance with measurable plans and goals... adding: “Despite “Among all the challenges, the State of Qatar rose to the occasion and provided an honorable model for the region and the world.”

In turn, Brigadier General Firas Mahmoud Al-Rashid, Director of the Tourism Police Department in Jordan, told Qatar News Agency (QNA): The Third Arab Forum for Tourism Security comes after the great success of the State of Qatar in organizing and securing the World Cup, which makes it an important platform for reviewing successful experiences in the tourism sector.

Brigadier General Al-Rasheed added: “There was Qatari excellence in organization, coordination, management and security in accordance with an innovative and creative vision in implementing the various plans related to the World Cup.”

He noted that this Qatari success gives a new dimension to this forum, by drawing lessons learned from this success, to serve as a method for organizing major events in the Arab region, indicating that the tourism sector is essentially competitive, but in its security dimension it is an integrated sector par excellence.

The Third Arab Forum for Tourism Security was held, scheduled to conclude this evening, under the title: “Security and Comprehensiveness of Tourist Destinations,” as part of the activities of “Doha, Capital of Arab Tourism for 2023.”

The forum, which is organized in cooperation between the Ministry of Interior and the Council of Arab Ministers of the Interior, is attended by a number of Their Excellencies Arab ministers of tourism, senior officials from tourism security leaders, and an elite group of senior officials, experts and specialists in the fields of security and tourism in the Arab world.

Through a number of dialogue sessions, the forum discussed a number of topics related to the tourism industry, including the infrastructure of tourist destinations, by securing airports against risks according to international standards, and presenting Qatar’s experience in the security and safety of participants in the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, and the risks of tourism investments and the mechanism for ensuring them. .

The participants also discussed the rights and duties of tourists, the rights of travelers, the media and its role in tourism awareness, and cybersecurity, especially as it relates to electronic crimes and their effects on tourists, applications of artificial intelligence, and the mechanism for confronting fraud crimes to which tourists are exposed via credit cards.

The forum included a session entitled: “Insuring Tourists and Tourist Facilities,” focusing on discussing a mechanism for confronting tourism disasters and crises, in addition to presenting Arab experiences in the field of tourism security.

Source: International Islamic News Agency