Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Nayef Fayez discussed on Tuesday with his Tunisian counterpart Mohamed Moez Belhassine means of bolstering cooperation in the tourism field and expanding tourism exchange.
During a teleconference for the Jordanian-Tunisian Joint Sectoral Tourism Committee, the two ministers discussed the key items of the 2022-2024 Executive Program for Tourism Cooperation. Fayez highlighted the importance of the program and its benefit to the tourism sector, in addition to the importance of exchanging expertise between the public and private sectors in Jordan and Tunisia.
The meeting also brought together the Secretary-General of the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, Imad Hijazin, the Director-General of the Jordan Tourism Board (JTB), Abdul Razzaq Arabiyat, the Tunisian envoy to Jordan, Khaled Al-Suhaili, Jordan’s ambassador to Tunisia, Maher Al-Tarawneh, Chairman of the Jordan Tourism and Hospitality Skills Council, Mohammad Al-Qasem, and the President of the Jordan Association for Traditional Crafts and Industries, Ibrahim Al-Zariqi.
The two sides agreed, Fayez noted, on forming four joint teams to follow-up on the project, which includes
the promotion of tourism, tourism training, product development and labor market regulation, and handicrafts, traditional and folk industries.
He stated that Jordan has competent experts in the tourism field in the public and private sectors, adding that the private sector is a key partner to lift up tourism. He pointed to the need to increase flights between the two countries to boost tourists numbers, underscoring the need to boost cooperation in the area of exhibitions.
The Tunisian minister said that the two countries are pioneers in tourism and are capable of handling crises that resulted form the Covid-19 fallout, commending the Jordanian expertise and competencies in the tourism sector.
He underlined the importance of exchanging expertise among human resources and professionals in traditional industries, in addition to encouraging cooperation between Jordanian and Tunisian universities in the tourism and traditional industries fields.
For his part, the Tunisian ambassador lauded the efforts exerted on both sides, which led to the final draft of the Executive Program for Tourism Cooperation project.
Speaking on the joint efforts for the program, Al-Tarawneh said they have shifted the tourism sector in both countries from a state of competitiveness to a partnership.
Chairman of the Jordan Tourism and Hospitality Skills Council, Mohammad Al-Qasem, said the council, led by the public and private sectors, is working on developing professional standards for jobs, through training programs in the tourism and hospitality sector.
He state that the council aims at to provide a trained, knowledgeable and experienced staff in the sector, and fill the needs of the labor market. To that end, the council is working on a smart database to introduce fresh graduates to the labor market and its needs.
The President of the Jordan Association for Traditional Crafts and Industries, Ibrahim Al-Zariqi, expressed interest in bilateral cooperation in the handicrafts and exhibitions areas, stressing the association’s commitment to cementing cooperation between Jordan and Tunisia.
On the executive program, Al-Zariqi explained that the project will promote and develop handicrafts products to meet the needs of the other markets.
Source: Jordan News Agency