Madinah (IINA) : The Secretary General of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Dr. Yousef Al-Othaimeen stressed that Madinah has the potentials to become a regional hub for heritage and eco-tourism, considering its peculiar ecological attractions, historical landmarks, and opportunities for desert safari.

This was contained in his statement on the occasion of the inauguration of Madinah as the capital of Islamic Tourism 2017 on Saturday under the patronage of President of the Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage Prince Sultan bin Salman and was attended by Governor of Madinah and Head of Tourism Development Council in the region Prince Faisal bin Salman.

The government of Saudi Arabia has organised flurry of activities to celebrate Madinah as the capital of Islamic Tourism 2017 in addition to commissioning about 30 projects designed for the occasion, and these include launching of a tourist bus service to transport tourists across the historical sites of Madinah in addition to authorizing a railway project and the launch of a program to preserve, restore and rehabilitate the historic mosques in Madinah.

The OIC secretary general felicitated the government and people of Saudi Arabia on the decision of the OIC to grant Madinah the award of capital of Islamic Tourism for the year 2017, stressing that the granting of the third edition of the award to Madinah is indeed a clear testimony to the importance of the holy city in the realm of heritage and eco-tourism, in addition to its character as a preferred destination for Muslim pilgrims.

Al-Othaimeen also noted that the objective of establishing the award is to bring to the fore the growing importance of tourism in the cooperation framework of the Organisation, highlighting the OIC’s strategy for scaling up Islamic tourism through the development of tourism infrastructures, new investments in family-friendly hotels and leisure facilities.

It is worthy to note that Madinah was selected as the ‘Capital of Islamic Tourism 2017’ during the 9th Session of Islamic Conference of Tourism Ministers (ICTM) held in December 2015 in Niamey, Niger, and was confirmed by the 43rd Session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organization held in Tashkent, the Republic of Uzbekistan in October.