Importance of e-tourism highlighted

MUSCAT — The Tourism Ministry organised a workshop on e-tourism at Golden Tulip Hotel yesterday in conjunction with the Arab Tourism Organization (ATO) af liated to the Arab League.

The two-day workshop comes as part of activities of Muscat Capital for the Arab Tourism 2012 with participation of 56 employees in different government and local departments.

Ghasi bin Humaid al Hashmi, Director-General of Tourism Promotion in the Tourism Ministry and member of the Sub-Committee of Muscat Capital for the Arab Tourism 2012 gave a speech wherein he said that the concept of etourism emerged few years ago as the international organisation started dealing with its various applications and its impact on the growth of tourism particularly in the least developed countries.

He added that the Sultanate, represented by the Tourism Ministry, was keen to organise such events due to the countries’ attention to the technological changes and progress in the information technology, as well as the concepts relevant to the social communication, which have become a necessity that cannot be neglected by any tourism activity.

Deliberations of the rst-day witnessed a number of lectures as Dr Husam Darwish, International Expert and Lecturer in e-tourism, SecretaryGeneral of the e-Tourism Organisation in Italy and Chairman of the Arab Council for e-Tourism and Promotion gave a lecture titled “Importance of e-Tourism and Promotion in the Field of Tourism and Hotel,” while Mohammed Riyadh, Adviser of Business via the Internet gave a lecture on the usage of the social communication in the eld of the social promotion via the Internet. — ONA