Marina Sarruf*
São Paulo – Among the over 120 success cases to be presented in the World Tourism Forum for Peace and Sustainable Development, Destinations 2006, various are from Arab countries like Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Tunisia, Oman, Jordan, Algeria, Egypt, Morocco, and others. The event is scheduled to begin tomorrow (29) in Porto Alegre, capital of the southern Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul.
The cases are going to show how the social and economic development, the appreciation of cultural diversity, the preservation of biodiversity and the creation of conditions for peace may boost tourism. One of the Arab examples will be presented by the director-general of the Ministry of Tourism of Qatar, Jan Poul de Bôer, who is going to discuss theme "Construction and Development of a Sustainable Tourism Destination".
The Arab country is currently living an economic boom that has encouraged great investment in constructions by the government and local and international investors. For the next four years, the government expects growth of approximately 150% in the tourism sector of Qatar, an increase of 300% in the hotel sector and the construction of the new Doha airport, which will have a capacity to receive 50 million visitors.
Apart from that, Bôer is going to present some construction projects in the country, among them "The Pearl", evaluated at US$ 5 billion, which is an artificial island with an area of over 400 hectares with houses for around 30,000 people, three luxury hotels, four marinas and 60,000 square metres of space for shops and restaurants. Another project is "Education City", which will house various international universities.
Another case of success will be project "The Sahara of Cultures and People", to be presented by United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco) consultant Laure Veirier. The objective of this project is to help the countries of the Sahara to create and implement a development strategy based on the preservation of natural and cultural heritage in favour of poor populations.
The Sahara region includes the following Arab countries: Tunisia, Algeria, Libya, Egypt, Mauritania, Morocco and Sudan, and the non-Arab Mali, Nigeria and Chad. Veirier is going to discuss how the project strengthens the work of natives, improves conditions for preservation of the Sahara ecosystem, and counts on the participation of local governments and of regional and international partners.
Other Arab cases that involve local communities are the Route of the Ksours, in Algeria, which recovers ancient routes of trade caravans, promoting sustainable cultural tourism and fighting poverty. The objective of the project is to improve the living conditions of local populations and to strengthen the economic and social development of the region. Another case is that of Jordan, with project "Recycling the Village of Taybeh", which involved the redoing and construction of schools, restaurants and shops, preserving the local culture.
Apart from the promotion of economic and social development, the preservation of cultural biodiversity and cultural appreciation, some cases are also going to show the search for peace, to be presented in panel "Movements for Peace ". One of them is the Trip for World Peace – Muscat Festival, in Oman, to be shown by the ambassador of the International Institute for Peace through Tourism, Donald King.
Muscat Festival takes place once a year and goes on for one month, attracting visitors from all over the world. During the event theatre plays are presented, there are also dance and music presentations, all related to the culture of Oman. Another project with peace as its theme is the "Route of Abraham", which involves countries like Israel, Jordan and Turkey. Israel and Turkey are not Arab countries, but Jordan is. The case will be presented by the Brazilian Paulo Farah, Arab language, literature and culture professor a the University of São Paulo (USP), and Fernando Latorre, World Bank and United Nations (UN) consultant.
In panel "New Destinations, New Tendencies" is Tunisia, with case Thalassotherapy in Tunisia, which consists of health treatment with seawater and sand. Another Arab country that will also be granted space is the United Arab Emirates, with the case of Global Village – Dubai Festival, which takes place every year and includes around 40 countries. Last year, the event counted on the participation of the Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce, which organized a Brazilian dance and music festival.
*Translated by Mark Ament
