COMCEC TOURISM WORKING GROUP€¦ · PROCEEDINGS OF THE 3RD MEETING OF THE COMCEC TOURISM WORKING GROUP ON “ ENABLING TOURISM INVESTMENT CLIMATE IN THE COMCEC REGION ” (March

PROCEEDINGS OF THE 3RD MEETING OF THE

COMCEC TOURISM WORKING GROUP

Enabling Tourism Investment Climate in the COMCEC Region

COMCEC COORDINATION OFFICE April 2014

Standing Committee for Economic and Commercial Cooperation of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (COMCEC)

PROCEEDINGS

OF THE 3RD MEETING OF THE COMCEC TOURISM WORKING GROUP

ON

“ ENABLING TOURISM INVESTMENT CLIMATE IN THE COMCEC REGION ”

(March 4th, 2014, Ankara, Turkey)

COMCEC COORDINATION OFFICE

April 2014

Standing Committee for Economic and Commercial Cooperation of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (COMCEC)

For further information please contact: Ms. Aylin SENOL GUN Expert Mr. Mustafa Adil SAYAR Expert COMCEC Coordination Office Necatibey Caddesi No: 110/A 06100 Yücetepe Ankara/TURKEY Phone : 90 312 294 57 10 Fax : 90 312 294 57 77 Web : www.comcec.org e-mail : [email protected] [email protected] [email protected]

http://www.comcec.org/

mailto:[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction ....................................................................................................................................................... 1

1. Opening Session ....................................................................................................................................... 2

2. The COMCEC Tourism Outlook 2014 ................................................................................................ 3

3. Global Trends in Tourism Investments: Benefits and Risks .................................................... 5

4. Providing Enabling Tourism Investment Climate in the COMCEC Region:

Challenges and Prospects ..................................................................................................................... 6

5. Success Stories of the Member States............................................................................................ 10

5.1. INDONESIA ................................................................................................................................................................ 10

5.2. IRAN ............................................................................................................................................................................. 10

5.3. MALAYSIA .................................................................................................................................................................. 11

5.4. MOZAMBIQUE.......................................................................................................................................................... 13

5.5. OMAN ........................................................................................................................................................................... 14

5.6. SAUDI ARABIA ......................................................................................................................................................... 15

5.7. SENEGAL .................................................................................................................................................................... 16

5.8. TURKEY ...................................................................................................................................................................... 17

6. International Institutions’ Perspective on Tourism Investment Climate ........................ 19

7. Private Sector Perspective on Tourism Investment Climate ................................................ 20

8. The Way Forward: Utilizing the New COMCEC Project Cycle Management (PCM) ........ 21

9. Closing Remarks ................................................................................................................................... 22

Annex 1: Agenda of the Meeting .............................................................................................................. 23

Annex 2: Program of the Meeting ............................................................................................................ 24

Annex 3: List of Participants ..................................................................................................................... 27

Proceedings of the 3rd Meeting of the Tourism Working Group

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Introduction

The 3rd Meeting of the COMCEC Tourism Working Group was held on March 4th, 2014 in Ankara, Turkey with the theme of “Enabling Tourism Investment Climate in the COMCEC Region.”

The Meeting was attended by the representatives of 14 Member States, which have notified their focal points for the Tourism Working Group namely, Azerbaijan, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Kyrgyz Republic, Libya, Malaysia, Mozambique, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Tunisia and Turkey. The representatives of the COMCEC Coordination Office, SESRIC, Islamic Center for Development of Trade (ICDT) and International Finance Corporation of the World Bank Group (IFC) attended the Meeting. The representatives from private sector have also attended the Meeting.1

At the outset, the representative of the COMCEC Coordination Office presented the “COMCEC Tourism Outlook 2014.” The participants were informed of the major issues regarding tourism sector development in the light of international tourism trends and insights on the current state of tourism in the member countries.

The participants considered the tourism investment climate in the COMCEC region through focusing on the Analytical Study titled “Enabling Tourism Investment Climate: Challenges and Prospects for Tourism Investments in the COMCEC Region” commissioned by the COMCEC Coordination Office specifically for the Meeting with a view to enriching the discussions.

The Representatives of the Member States have shared their experiences, achievements and challenges regarding tourism investment climate in their respective countries. The perspective of the international institutions and private sector on tourism investment climate was also reflected during the discussions. The participants had the chance to elaborate on how to provide an enabling environment for the tourism investments in the COMCEC Member Countries.

The presentations and deliberations made during the meeting highlighted that governments play a crucial role for creating an enabling investment climate for tourism investors. It was stressed that creating an enabling tourism investment climate requires utilization of the full range of tools and strategies including among others, provision of clear, updated information and prompt responses to investor inquiries, updated investment promotion websites, effective coordination among relevant stakeholders, providing infrastructure (including road networks, electricity, etc.), allocation of land for specific tourism projects, effective incentive packages, easy procedures and financial support for the local tourism SMEs as well as foreign entrepreneurs and utilization of alternative investment financing options such as crowdfunding.

Lastly, the COMCEC Coordination Office presented the COMCEC Project Funding Mechanism, introduced by the COMCEC Strategy, and informed the participants of its details.

1 The list of participants is attached as Annex 3.


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1. Opening Session

In line with the tradition of the Organization of the Islamic Cooperation (OIC), the Meeting started with the recitation from the Holy Quran. At the outset, Mr. M. Metin EKER, Director General of the COMCEC Coordination Office briefed the participants on the COMCEC and its activities. He stated that COMCEC cooperation activities had a new start with the adoption of the COMCEC Strategy in 2012. Implementation of COMCEC Strategy began in 2013. With the Strategy, COMCEC has a new mission: COMCEC aims to become a platform for producing and disseminating knowledge as well as sharing experiences and approximating policies among the Member Countries. The Working Group Mechanism is one of the main instruments introduced by the COMCEC Strategy. Mr. EKER stressed that the Working Group Meetings, which are held twice a year in Ankara in each cooperation area, bring the qualified experts of the Member Countries together to produce knowledge, share experience and best practices and develop a common understanding in the respective cooperation areas.

Mr. EKER highlighted that the second operational instrument initiated by the COMCEC Strategy is the Project Cycle Management (PCM) through which the Member States can propose multilateral projects in the cooperation areas defined by the Strategy. Mr. EKER pointed out that this mechanism will give a momentum to Member States’ participation in the cooperation efforts. Mr. EKER underlined that the call for project proposals has been made last year and a considerable number of projects were submitted by the Member States as well as the relevant OIC Institutions. Mr. EKER expressed that in April 2014, the implementation phase of the projects will start. Lastly, underlining the importance of tourism sector for the Member Countries, Mr. EKER expressed his wishes for successful deliberations.

Mr. Mohd Daud Mohd ARIF, Undersecretary of Industry Development of Ministry of Tourism and Culture of Malaysia was elected as the Chairman of the Meeting. Mr. ARIF welcomed the all participants to the 3rd Meeting of the Tourism Working Group and expressed his thanks for electing him as the Chairman. He emphasized the importance of tourism sector for the member countries in terms of its economic and socio-cultural impacts. Tourism is an industry which becomes an economic sector contributing to the development of a country. Moreover, Mr. ARIF underscored that long-term trends of tourism industry have always had an upward trend. Lastly, he stressed that investments play a crucial role in providing proper infrastructure, services and facilities and maintaining sustainable development in the Member Countries.


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2. The COMCEC Tourism Outlook 2014

Ms. Aslı TAŞMAZ DADAKOĞLU, Expert from the COMCEC Coordination Office, has presented some of the key developments of tourism sector in the world and in the COMCEC Region. In her presentation, Ms. DADAKOĞLU focused on the importance of tourism sector for development and provided an overview of tourism sector in the world and in the COMCEC Region.

With regards to tourism, Ms. DADAKOĞLU stated that tourism has experienced continued expansion and diversification, and become one of the most rapidly developing industries in the world. In her presentation, she shared some figures developed by the UNWTO to reveal that a strong tourism sector could contribute in many ways to development and the economy. She also demonstrated the new tourism trends like sustainability, changing consumer profiles, technology and stated that the weight of emerging economies in the international tourism market is increasing. She drew attention to these trends which will lead to intensification of competition between countries. She also stated that importance should be given by the COMCEC Member Countries to these trends for tourism product development.

Ms. DADAKOĞLU also shared some of the figures of tourist arrivals and tourism receipts in the world. She said that international tourist arrivals increased from 678 to 1.087 million in the period of 2000-2013. It was expressed that the growth in international tourist arrivals and tourism receipts in emerging economies are greater than advanced economies for the years 2000-2012 and there is a tendency to increase in Asia-Pacific Region and decrease in Europe and America. Whereas, for the year 2013, the growth in arrivals in emerging economies was 4,8 % and the growth was 5,2% in advanced economies.

Furthermore, Ms. DADAKOĞLU elaborated on the tourism sector in the COMCEC Member States. Regarding to tourist arrivals, the COMCEC Member States performed above the world averages for the period 2005-2011. She presented that the COMCEC Member Countries constituted 14-16% of international tourist arrivals, and 12-14 % of tourism receipts in the period 2005-2011. It was highlighted that there was a tendency to increase in the share of COMCEC Member Countries in both tourist arrivals and tourism receipts.

It was also stated that Turkey and Malaysia were ranked 6th and 10th, respectively among the top 10 world tourist destinations. Regarding the tourism receipts, Ms. DADAKOĞLU demonstrated that tourism receipts were concentrated in a few member countries. In terms of tourism receipt per visitor, Lebanon was the first country among the Member States in 2012. Ms. DADAKOĞLU also shared some of the figures for intra-OIC tourism. Within the sub-groups of the OIC, with regards to the tourist arrivals, OIC-MENA can be seen as the best performing OIC sub-region. Similarly, tourism receipts of the OIC-MENA exceeded the OIC Asia sub-region.

In her presentation, she provided a picture about recent developments in the COMCEC Region. She stated that some member countries like Malaysia (3%), Morocco (7%), Tunisia, Brunei Darussalam (15%), Maldives (18%), The United Arab Emirate (UAE) of Dubai (10%), Oman (+6%) and Palestine (+4%) enjoyed high growth rates in their tourist arrivals.

Despite the positive developments in some parts of the COMCEC Region, other major destinations faced declines in 2013. In addition to Egypt, Saudi Arabia reported a 7% decline in 2013 compared to 2012.

She also shared the occupancy rates in some cities of the COMCEC Member countries. It was indicated that Oman, Qatar and United Arab Emirates recorded significant increases in


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occupancy in the COMCEC Region. It was expressed that this result is most probably due to the tourist arrivals increases in 2013 in these cities.

Underlining the great potential in tourism sector among the Member States, Ms. DADAKOĞLU mentioned the following challenges affecting tourism performance in the COMCEC Region:

Insufficient Tourism Investments and Infrastructures Poor Tourism Planning & Product Development Travel Facilitation Problems Safety and Security Related Problems Low Tourism Service Quality Insufficient Marketing and Promotion Insufficient Image Building and Branding

She concluded her presentation by stating that with a view to overcoming “insufficient tourism-related infrastructure and investments” challenge, the quality and efficiency of tourism infrastructure and services need to be improved in conformity with the international standards in the COMCEC Member Countries.


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3. Global Trends in Tourism Investments: Benefits and Risks

Mr. Scott WAYNE, President of the SW Associates, made a presentation on global trends in tourism investments including the benefits and risks of tourism investments. The presentation constituted the first part of the Analytical Study on “Enabling Tourism Investment Climate: Challenges and Prospects for Tourism Investments in the COMCEC Region” commissioned by the COMCEC Coordination Office specifically for the 3rd Meeting of the Tourism Working Group.

In the first part of the presentation, importance of tourism investments and their key benefits and positive impacts were explained which include: economic development, poverty alleviation, foreign exchange generation, urban revitalization, natural and cultural heritage preservation, and capacity building.

Mr. WAYNE underlined that tourism is a huge industry comprising many sub-sectors including accommodation, recreation, catering, entertainment, transportation, and other related services. He stated that tourism can be an important catalyst for economic development and poverty alleviation from the local to the national levels for a variety of reasons. For investors, if tourism is planned, developed and marketed effectively, it can be a financially attractive for investments. Likewise, for local economies, tourism generates direct, indirect and induced purchases across a broad range of supply chains, much of which could often be supplied by local small and medium sized enterprises. For Governments, increased investments and purchases also lead to increased tax revenue as well as stimulate public investment and spending. And, for the economy as a whole, international tourism can be a vital source of much needed foreign exchange.

Sources of tourism investments can be domestic and Foreign Direct Investment (FDI). Mr. WAYNE briefed the participants on the “crowdfunding” which is a new potential source of tourism investments. It was expressed that it is a way of raising capital from many small donors utilizing the power of social networking and the internet. According to the presentation, there are two types of crowdfunding: Equity-based and non-equity or donation based. Mr. WAYNE stated that compatible with the Islamic finance, crowdfunding can be a new source of tourism investments in the COMCEC Member Countries.

Mr. WAYNE concluded his presentation with the risks and negative impacts of tourism investments which were categorized as environmental impacts, land tenancy challenges, infrastructure failures, financial risks, and incompatible neighboring developments.

Following the presentation, the participants raised their questions and comments.

Question: Crowdfunding is a new instrument for investment financing. Does crowdfunding need any institutional framework to control and monitor the transactions?

Answer: If investors have equity stake in the investment, they should have some protection. In the US, recently “Jobs Act” has been adopted in order to protect the investors and to provide guidance and guidelines on how equity based crowdfunding, as opposed to donation-based one, can move forward. On donation-based crowdfunding, people just give money because they like an idea and do not expect anything in return. Thus, they do not need any protection. For countries, there is a need for guiding and providing some guidelines on crowdfunding.


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Comment: It was stated that a study demonstrated that in the world 80% of countries’ Investment Promotion Agencies (IPA) do not respond to the investors inquiries. As the COMCEC Member Countries, we should increase the capacity to respond the investor questions and queries.

Answer: Actually, it can be changed easily through trainings and capacity buildings. In some countries, there is lack of coordination between the IPA and Tourism agencies. There has to be outreach to the tourism agencies. As in some countries, it is better to have some Investment Promotion Division /Departments within the Tourism Ministries.

Comment: It was expressed that in Senegal, there is a serious problem in land tenancy. Tourism Investment Promotion Agency (SAPCO) is supposed to provide land by rent for 99 years. Since big private sector companies are not willing to invest in a considerable amount of money for land that they do not own. It constitutes a big challenge for the private sector investments in Senegal. However, recently, government has passed a Statute enabling selling the land. It is an important step for enhancing the tourism investments in Senegal.

4. Providing Enabling Tourism Investment Climate in the COMCEC Region: Challenges and Prospects

Mr. Manuel Lisandro KNIGHT, Project Manager at the SW Associates, presented the findings, challenges and recommendations of the Analytical Study entitled “Enabling Tourism Investment Climate: Challenges and Prospects for Tourism Investments in the COMCEC Region.”

At the outset, he informed the participants on the general outlook for tourism investment in the COMCEC region for the three sub-regions, namely Africa, Asia and Middle East. He stated that most of the African members of the COMCEC are comparatively undeveloped for tourism than members in other regions. However, this also means untapped potential in tourism, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa. Potential opportunities exist for a broad range of segments – business travel, MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conventions and Exhibitions) market, internationally branded hotels, adventure travel, cultural tourism and increased wildlife and ecotourism.

The COMCEC Middle East members offer a remarkable potential for tourism investments. Some of the notable trends include increased interest in the region in smaller and lower cost hotels and wellness tourism, and continued growth throughout the GCC, especially for leisure and cultural tourism. The COMCEC Asian members also offer diverse tourism investment potential. The Central Asia sub-region, which includes 6 countries, offers growing opportunities in especially business travel, hotel development and cultural travel as transport within and between these countries expands and improves. The South Asia region -- Afghanistan, Pakistan and Bangladesh -- offers some tourism potential, but their potential varies based on each one’s distinct political and socio-economic circumstances. The third sub-region, which is “tropical Asia,” includes Maldives, Malaysia, Brunei Darussalam and Indonesia, all of which enjoy higher competitiveness scores and attract fast growing numbers of visitors for travel and business, as well as tourism investments.


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Mr. KNIGHT stressed that COMCEC member countries are faced with at least four categories of common challenges in attracting and sustaining tourism investment:

1) Governance of the tourism sector, 2) Investment climate, 3) Regulatory aspects, 4) Infrastructure and some additional challenges.

The Study found a few differences in the challenges between regions, but these differences are minor and relatively inconsequential.

One of the key challenges, governance, is a priority for attracting tourism investments. Another priority challenge is related transportation for improving and expanding access. The regulatory challenges and excessive visa requirements are also among the main issues to be handled.

During the presentation, Mr. KNIGHT gave references to the database of statistics on which the 57 country profiles are based, and to the eight case studies illustrating success stories in tourism investment climate. Jordan, Lebanon and Mexico cases describe major urban developments, each of them focuses on one city. The Mexican case also describes creation of a successful seaside mega-destination from a totally undeveloped area. The Egypt, Mozambique and Lebanon cases cover approaches to ‘land banking’ meaning earmarking and assembling strategically selected tracts of land for later tourism investments. The Malaysia, Mozambique and Nicaragua cases deal with approaches to investment promotion and the offering of incentives. Mr. KNIGHT stated that of the cases, ProNicaragua, the investment promotion agency of Nicaragua, is especially notable because it exemplifies a small agency with a small budget can become one of the leading investment promotion agencies in the world.

In the final part, Mr. KNIGHT focused on the key challenges identified along with policy and institutional measures to address each one. The governance challenges called for policy-related remedies such as defining a tourism sector strategy, launching a process to formulate a Tourism Satellite Account, prioritizing tourism statistics to raise awareness of the sector, and strengthening cooperation between tourism authorities and security authorities. Institutional remedies included the creation of a statistical unit inside the tourism ministry, creation of an inter-ministerial council to focus on tourism matters, inclusion of a business council or chamber in the said council and creation of a special tourism police or security guard of some kind.

As for the investment climate challenges, the key policy responses included that Investment Promotion Agencies (IPAs) provide complete information about laws, taxes, incentives and regulations relating to tourism investments; and information on investment opportunities.

Mr. KNIGHT finalized his presentation by explaining seven solutions that could be delivered via COMCEC-led technical cooperation. Some are intended for national tourism offices and IPA staff while others are intended for higher level policy makers at various ministries and institutions. These are:

1. Capacity building for tourism investment promotion: It will help generate more leads from investors.


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2. Determining the essentials of land banking and allocation for large scale tourism development: It will help authorities decide whether to create one or more such institutions.

3. Regional planning and master planning for tourism: It will create a better understanding of physical planning and development of tourism project.

4. Adaptation and use of cultural and natural public assets for tourism: Investment advisors will advise clients more effectively on projects with heritage components.

5. Tourism statistics and satellite accounts: Staff will be able to better assist with feasibility studies and authorities will understand tourism better for policy-making purposes.

6. More effective incentive schemes: Authorities can eliminate wasteful features and improve the effectiveness of the better incentives.

7. Visa facilitation: It will boost the countries’ openness scores promoting mobility and inter-connectedness.

Following the presentation, the participants raised their questions and comments. Some of them are given below.

Question: It was mentioned in the presentation that Malaysia has lower tourism investment capital compared to Indonesia but attracts more tourists. How do you interpret this situation?

Answer: It is related to type of tourism that Malaysia has. It has border tourism. There is a heavy border traffic and many tourists come from the neighboring countries such as Singapore, Brunei, Thailand and Indonesia. Besides, government facilitates infrastructure investments. Malaysia has a well-developed travel corridor facilitating the tourist flows from a number of entry points. Moreover, Malaysia has an extremely powerful branding and marketing campaign based on targeted research.

Question: In Senegal, government is fully aware of the importance of tourism for socio-economic development. Recently, an Inter-Ministerial Tourism Council was established to discuss tourism programs for the next five years. About tourism investments, government identified specific areas, particularly in coastal areas, where tourism constructions, hotels, marinas can be built. Government provides basic infrastructure in these areas. The most important problem is the lack of finance for local tourism operators. There is no financial institution for the tourism investments in Senegal. We try to create a specific credit fund for tourism investments. Can we extent this approach to the COMCEC? Is it possible to have a specific credit fund for tourism investments under the COMCEC?

Answer: Under the COMCEC, there is no such credit fund for tourism as well as other sectors. However, there is a Project Cycle Management (PCM) mechanism. It is not about physical investment. It is about capacity building and technical cooperation. Senegal can prepare a capacity building project on this issue and submit it to the PCM in September 2014. That is one way that COMCEC would help to build capacity in tourism sector of your country.

Comment: In Mozambique, the government identified tourism as one of the priority areas. Although international investors have interested in making investments in Mozambique, they face the challenge of lack of a well-functioning infrastructure such as roads, energy, etc. Thus, it becomes difficult to manage to capture the investments. Another challenge is related to the


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local investors. It was stated that Mozambique created a fund for supporting the tourism SMEs. Since Mozambique wants to increase the quality of the tourism establishments, it did a partnership with one of the commercial banks of Mozambique and local investors.


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5. Success Stories of the Member States

5.1. INDONESIA

Mr. Ronald Pantun MARISI, Tourism Investment Officer from the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy of the Republic of Indonesia made a presentation on “Why Invest in Indonesia?” In his presentation, Mr. MARISI stated that “the Acceleration and Expansion of Indonesia Economic Development (MP3EI) (2011-2025)” was launched in 2011. It aims at enhancing the economic sectors in all the islands of Indonesia. It is primarily driven by 22 main economic activities including tourism.

He stated that compared to 2011, tourism FDIs in Indonesia have increased by 210 % in 2012. In 2013, Indonesia attracted 8.4 million foreign visitors and targeted to have 9 million foreign visitors in 2014.

He informed the participants that Indonesia has six economic corridors and two economic special zones. Among them, tourism sector is mainly concentrated in Bali area. He stated that enhancing human capacity and utilizing technology are integral strategies in the process of MP3EI and they would support total economic national development, including the tourism industry.

He concluded his presentation by stating the future plans of Indonesia for tourism air connectivity. He stated that by 2015, 24 new airports would be added to the current 217 airports. These airports will serve to Indonesia’s tourism industry and to the development of new destinations through better connectivity.

5.2. IRAN

Ms. Saeedeh NAZARI, Expert from the Iranian Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization (ICHTO) presented her country’s experience regarding tourism investment climate. Firstly, Ms. NAZARI introduced the ICHTO and its investment and tourism departments. Within the ICHTO, Deputy of Planning and Investment, established in 2007, is in charge of coordinating and absorbing all required investments to expand tourism infrastructures and superstructures. This Department has taken the following measures to enhance tourism investments:

• Developing investment packages to support the approved development projects. • Attending international seminars to make the way for the foreign investors to take

part. • Holding different exhibitions in a concerted cooperation with NGO’s prioritizing

development plans.

She continued her presentation with a brief review on Iran’s economic potentials and some measures to facilitate investments in Iran. Some of these measures are offering banking


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facilities for foreign and domestic investments with 50% tax exemption and developing tourism sample areas to focus on tourism development in nominated parts of the country.

Ms. NAZARI concluded her presentation with some suggestions such as:

- Encouraging COMCEC Tourism Investors to participate in Iran tourism projects;

- Establishing COMCEC Tourism Investment Fund for financial support of proposed projects;

- Holding seminars for interested Iranian living abroad to take part actively in developing tourism superstructures and attractions;

- Encouraging investors to develop handicrafts in danger of extinction as well as dialects, folklore, local clothing, cuisine and so on.

5.3. MALAYSIA

Mr. MOHD DAUD MOHD ARIF, Undersecretary of Industry Development of the Ministry of Tourism and Culture of Malaysia shared his country's success stories in tourism sector with the participants.

Mr. ARIF, firstly, gave some figures regarding the tourism sector performance in Malaysia. He stated that tourism accounted for the second largest foreign earnings and the seventh largest contributor to the economy, contributing 10.45 Billion Euro to Gross National Income (GNI) in 2012. Tourism also contributes 12.5 % of Malaysian GDP and 16.4 % in employment in the same year. He informed the participants that in 2012, Malaysia was the 10th most visited country in the world with the tourist arrivals of 25 million and ranked 13th in terms of tourist receipts, which was 14.7 billion Euros. He also mentioned some achievements of Malaysia including awards, accolades and acknowledgements from numerous organizations.

Mr. ARIF briefed the participants on the Malaysian Tourism Transformation Plan (MTTP) which recognized tourism as one of the National Key Economic Areas. Malaysia is expected to earn 51.38 billion USD from the targeted 36 million tourist arrivals by 2020 under the MTTP. Moreover, under the 10th Malaysia Plan (10MP), tourism is targeted to position Malaysia in the top 10 in terms of global tourism receipts; increase the sector's contribution by 2.1 times and contributing 51.38 billion USD in receipts. To achieve these targets, the focus will be on attracting a larger share of high–end travellers and on capturing a higher share of the high-traffic segments, particularly from Russia, India, China and Middle East.

Mr. ARIF continued his presentation with the tourism investments of Malaysia. He stated that based on the current global economic scenario, as well as increasing competition for global FDIs, it is pertinent for domestic investments to take the center stage in driving Malaysia’s investment agenda in transforming the economy. Malaysia will need to focus more on domestic direct investment (DDI) to ensure sustainable economic growth in the future. Malaysia adopts a targeted approach in attracting FDI and DDI investments. Accordingly, Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA) will continue to intensify its existing promotional measures including Domestic Specific Project Mission (DSPM); MIDA’s outreach


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program to encourage and enhance the domestic investment landscape and organizing investment promotion missions to targeted countries/regions for FDIs.

He stressed the liberalization initiatives taken in 2009 with a view to allowing 100 per cent foreign equity participation in the following six sub-sectors: Theme Parks; Convention and Exhibition Centers; Travel Agencies and Tour Operators Services; Hotel and Restaurant services (4 and 5 star hotels only); Food Serving Services (4 and 5 star hotels only); and Beverage Serving Services for consumption on the premises (4 and 5 star hotels only). Mr ARIF also mentioned the importance of regional economic corridors in Malaysia. He stated each corridor consists of high-density clusters with sectoral and geographical advantages which enable businesses to benefit from common resources, facilitate labour market matching and contributes to knowledge sharing.

Mr. ARIF touched upon the role of government in tourism investments and briefed the participants on the functions of the MIDA. MIDA, established in 1967, is the principal Malaysian Government agency responsible for the promotion and coordination of industrial development in the country. It is the first point of contact for investors who intend to set up projects in the manufacturing and services sectors in Malaysia. To effectively attract investments, MIDA has been empowered by the Government with the necessary authority to negotiate directly with investors for targeted projects. In addition, other measures that have been undertaken will create a more competitive and conducive business environment that will help generate investment activities in the country including establishment of a the National Committee on Investment (NCI) in MIDA and establishment of a Task Force on Investment Promotion in MIDA to coordinate investment promotion activities with all Investment promotion agencies.

Mr. ARIF mentioned the main challenges faced in tourism investments and the strategies for overcoming these challenges, shown in Figure 1 and Figure 2.

Figure 1: Main Challenges in Tourism Investments

Improving common infrastructures throughout Malaysia

Need for skilled manpower

Enhance coordination between government agencies

Enhance promotion in tourism business

Competition from ASEAN Member States


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Figure 2: Strategies Overcoming the Challenges

Lastly, Mr. ARIF informed the participants of the activities/events under the Visit Malaysia Year (VMY) 2014. He stated that over 200 exciting tourism events including colorful parades, carnivals, festivals, Malaysia Mega Sale Carnival and Malaysia International Tourism Night Floral Parade will be showcased throughout the year within the framework of the celebration of VMY 2014. Moreover, the government of Malaysia offers incentives such as tax deductions for companies or organizations that have forged strategic alliances with the Ministry of Tourism and Culture Malaysia in the form of financial contributions, in kind or materials in conjunction with Visit Malaysia Year 2014. This tax deduction is limited to 10% of the companies’ aggregate income or 7% for organizations other than companies.

5.4. MOZAMBIQUE

Mr. JOSE FARIA, Head of Department Monitoring and Planning from the Ministry of Tourism of the Republic of Mozambique made a presentation. In his presentation, Mr. FARIA gave brief information on his Country. He mentioned the key principles of the tourism sector of Mozambique. These principles are:

• Adoption of sustainable tourism and biodiversity conservation planning • Public-private partnership and involvement of local communities in the process of

developing sustainable tourism;

Outlining new investments strategies – promoting incentives, develop target industry, meeting the human

resources need and transforming the investment landscape

Targeting new & reinvestments

Making Malaysia an attractive business location

Regional collaboration to attract investments


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• Focus on ecosystem management integrated with tourism product development, market diversification and niche markets

Mr. FARIA stated that in recent years, tourism has shown a steady growth and contributed to the Mozambique economy, as shown in Table 1.

Table 1: Some Figures on Mozambique Tourism Sector

Year

2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 Var. % (13/12)

Tourism Revenues (in Millions USD)

195,6 197,3 231,1 248 222,8 -10,2

International Visitors

1.711.147 1.836.143 2.012.640 2.205.853 1.969.716 -11

Investments Approved (in thousands USD)

615,98 740,81 540,03 640,00 871,17 36,1

Expansion on bed capacity

18.412 37.550 38.461 40.800 45.403 11,2

Mr. FARIA stated that Mozambique aims to be a “Premium Tourism Destination” with special emphasis on quality coastal resorts, linked with diversity of eco-tourism and adventure opportunities, and cultural experiences. He mentioned about the strategic tourism products of Mozambique such as ecotourism, culture, water sports, adventure and wildlife.

He concluded his presentation by expressing the opportunities for investment in Mozambique. He stated that Mozambique needs partners for investment in:

Conservation and sustainable use of wildlife; Development of Integrated Resorts and community Based tourism; Supporting basic infrastructures (under PPPs, BOTs and others schemes); Development of Highly Skilled and Professional Work Force; and Competitive Aviation Sector.

5.5. OMAN

Ms. FATMA AL-LAWATI, Tourism Affairs Researcher, Ministry of Tourism of Sultanate of Oman made a presentation on Tourism Investment Prospects in Oman.

In her presentation, Ms. AL-LAWATI briefly informed the participants about tourism industry in Oman, which has witnessed substantial growth during the last four decades. She stated that the value added of the tourism sector during the period 2009-2012 increased from 1.4 billion USD to 1.7 billion USD and the number of tourist arrivals reached 2.2 million in 2013.


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Ms. AL-LAWATI continued her presentation with some figures regarding investments in tourism sector in Oman. The sector has focused on investing in integrated tourism complexes, accommodation projects (hotels, resorts, tourist camps), commercial and recreational projects (commercial centers, parks etc.) and services (restaurants, travel agencies, tour guides etc.).

Ms. AL-LAWATI briefed the participants on the advantages of investing in Oman, which occupies a strategic location and has many interesting tourism locations like marinas, mountains, valleys and caves. The country has also a suitable climate for tourism including rich aquatic life, various cultural, archeological and reservation sites, good road network.

Regarding the incentives granted to the investors in the tourism sector, Oman has a leasing agreement, which is called “usufruct agreement”. In this type of incentive, investors can rent a land for 25 or 50 years considering the extent of the land. The second type of incentive is “grant exemption”. In this process, investors can be exempted from the rental value or income tax for five years. The third type of incentive is low land rental value.

As for the Integrated Tourism Complexes (ITC), in addition to the incentives mentioned above, the Ministry of Tourism signs Development Agreement with ITC developer which defines the obligations and responsibilities of each party. Government supports the investors by allowing them to sell or own real estate units within the ITCs, (the ownership is also transferable by inheritance), provide visa facilitation, electricity and water.

Ms. AL-LAWATI also gave information on the challenges faced by the tourism investors in her Country. She pointed out that financial institutions hesitate to grant loans and facilities for tourism projects. Moreover, unclear and long government investment procedures regarding permits and licensing and lack of information on tourism opportunities are the other challenges faced by investors.

Finally, Ms. AL-LAWATI expressed the future strategy of Oman on the tourism investments. She expressed that tourism investments will be evaluated, the weaknesses and strengths will be identified and a most advantageous model to serve the national economy will be suggested. Furthermore, the establishment of small and medium enterprises will be promoted. Finally, she pointed out that the Ministry will study and evaluate the governmental requirements and procedures related to tourism investments and projects, and make suggestions for enabling the Ministry to establish a “one-stop shop” which means less governmental procedures for the investors.

5.6. SAUDI ARABIA

Mr. BANDER ALANAZI, Senior Investment Specialist forum the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA) made a presentation on tourism investments in Saudi Arabia. In his presentation, Mr. ALANAZI shared his country’s experience in tourism investments, particularly focusing on the case Study of Al-Uqair, which is the Kingdom’s first mixed use tourism destination.

Firstly, Mr. ALANAZI gave information regarding the goals of Tourism Investment Division. The division aims to develop broad tourism products and services through promoting tourism


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investments. Among the other successful stories regarding the tourism investments, Al-Uqayr is one of the most successful destinations in Saudi Arabia due to its distinguished natural and historical values, proximity to large population areas, accessibility by several modes of transportation and high socio-economic returns. Moreover, Al-Uqair is the Kingdom’s first large scale new tourism destination and SCTA’s first mega project.

According to Mr. ALANAZI, Al-Uqayr investment has three main development components. The first one is leisure, entertainment and commercial components. Al-Uqair has historic ports, water parks, theme parks, outlet villages and motor centers. The second development component is touristic accommodation components. In Al-Uqair, there is a diversified product range that will target a wide range of segments, interests and motivations, which is “something for everyone to afford.” The final component is residential and second home components. There is a diversified product range that will target a wide range of those who wish to reside in Al-Uqair.

Mr. ALANAZI also stated that the government is already in the process of developing major power installations and grids for the developments in Al-Uqair, 1.0 Billion Saudi Riyal (SR) has already been allocated to provide Electricity for the site. Moreover, the water and sewage treatment plants are currently being planned and designed to support the future needs of the destination. Furthermore, there has been rapid progress in upgrading and construction of all highways that will connect Al Uqair to Riyadh, Al Ahsa, and Dammam. Gulf Coastal Highway is also under construction linking the GCC countries.

Mr. ALANAZI concluded his presentation by giving information on the main socio-economic conclusions of Al-Uqair investment. According to him, Al-Uqair will help boost the tourism industry and diversify the region’s economy, which is currently very dependent on oil and agriculture. Also, the Al-Uqair model will act as a ‘pilot test’, and be reproduced in other regions. This project will facilitate tourism initiatives of the local and regional levels. Al-Uqair, through its organizational model, will act as a catalyst to facilitate private investments. Finally, Mr. ALANAZI expressed that this project creates a large number of jobs through the labor-intensive tourism industry.

5.7. SENEGAL

Mr. OUSMANE NDOYE, Director of Investments from the Ministry of Tourism of the Republic of Senegal made a presentation on “Attracting Tourism Investments in Senegal”. At the beginning, Mr. NDOYE gave information on Senegal’s tourism potential. He expressed that investors are increasingly recognizing Senegal’s competitive business environment, stable economy and geographic advantages as reasons to conduct business. The Senegal Government prioritizes securing tourism investments. In order to attract investors, a tourism vision is being implemented to highlight the existing opportunities in Senegal.

In this respect, the main objectives are:

Establishing 20.000 rooms in resort, hotels and motels 700 km coastal development


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Dakar will be an international center of business tourism International airport expansion and redevelopment of airports Restoration of historical assets and development of a master plan called “Historical

Tourist Island”

Mr. NDOYE also briefed the participants on Senegal’s competitive strengths. He pointed out that tourism sector in Senegal has growth potential since the predictable and non-discriminatory rules and lack of administrative barriers to run business in Senegal. Moreover, Senegal has a stable macroeconomic environment which provides access to international trade and adequate and accessible resources.

Mr. NDOYE continued his presentation by giving information on Senegal’s tourism assets. He pointed out that Senegal has a variety of competitive natural and cultural tourism assets. Mr. NDOYE stated that in order to enhance the quality and competitiveness of tourism sector, a new system of categorization and quality control of accommodation have been planned by the tourism authority in Senegal.

Finally, Mr. NDOYE expressed that Senegal is planning to develop new resorts and other new tourism areas in the South and the center of the Country.

5.8. TURKEY

Mr. FERHAT ÖZKAN, Head of Section, General Directorate of Investment and Establishments, Ministry of Culture and Tourism made a presentation on tourism sector in Turkey. At the outset, he explained the story of development of Turkish tourism industry. Tourism sector in Turkey has passed through three periods. He argued that during the first period between 1963 and 1982, the sector mostly focused on the main tourism projects such as South Antalya Tourism Development Project. In the second period (1982-2003) tourism sector has experienced development, especially in terms of the establishment of legal and administrative regulations and diversification of touristic establishments. During the third period, which has started in 2003, there have been amendments in tourism encouragement law and the sector has focused more on diversification of tourism products and activities, brand creation, sustainable tourism. From 1982, the main policy of Ministry of Tourism has been planning and land allocation (from state owned lands to private investors.)

Mr. ÖZKAN also informed the participants of the Tourism Strategy of Turkey (2023). The main objectives of the strategy are:

To ensure sustainable development of tourism, To diversify tourism facilities and spread these facilities over all regions, make 12

months tourism To be at one of the top five tourism destinations of the world in 2023. The target of 65 million visitors and 50 billion revenue in 2023

Mr. ÖZKAN also gave detailed information on thermal tourism in Turkey. Regarding thermal tourism, Turkey is among the first seven countries in the World with its potential in hot


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mineral resources and the third country in Europe with 240 thermal spas having hot mineral springs.

Mr. ÖZKAN expressed that Ministry of Culture and Tourism also has a “New Vision for Thermal Tourism Investments”. He argued that according to this vision, priority zones are aimed to be developed. And these thermal tourism-oriented destinations would be integrated with other tourism facilities such as golf, winter sports, culture, nature, water sports, etc. 12 months tourism will be possible at the destinations.

Finally, Mr. ÖZKAN gave information on the thermal facilities in Turkey. Accordingly, he stated that the number of thermal facilities increased dramatically between 2006 and 2013. He concluded his presentation by giving some examples of thermal tourism centers in Turkey.

Following the presentation, the participants raised their questions and comments.

Question: Indonesian representative stated that they targeted 9 million foreign visitors in 2014. Is it just for Bali or for the whole country? What is the main market visiting Indonesia?

Answer: 9 million foreign tourists target was settled for the whole country. Main market is Asian countries, especially South –East Asia, and Australia.

Question: Malaysia is a well developed country in tourism sector. Can Malaysia share its experience regarding how they encourage the local community to participate in and benefit from the development of tourism?

Answer: For encouraging the participation of rural area in tourism, Malaysia has a Community Based Tourism Master Plan. It promotes villages, homestays as part of tourism industry. Malaysia has 166 homestays having registered. All homestays provide unique experience. There is a demand for homestays especially from Europe, Japanese and Korean markets.

Question: Which incentives have not worked in the COMCEC Region?

Answer: Representative of Turkey stated that Turkey aimed to support alternative tourism. Mostly, the entrepreneurs would like to invest in southern part of Turkey because of well-developed infrastructure. So, Ministry of Tourism and Culture put a rule. If the investors have land allocation in southern part of Turkey, they should have a project in winter tourism. However, this strategy did not work.

Answer: Representative of the Sultanate of Oman expressed that Oman gives a package of incentives for investors. Most of them attract the investors. But besides the incentives, the procedures are also important. Long procedures do not encourage the investors to invest. Lack of financial support is another important problem. Oman does not give financial support to foreign investors; just gives to the Omani investors. There is no easy process or incentives from the local banks for foreign investment, which discourages some investors.


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6. International Institutions’ Perspective on Tourism Investment Climate

Ms. Hermione Nevill, Operations Officer from the International Finance Corporation (IFC), World Bank Group made a presentation on “Perspectives on Tourism Investment Climate.” At the outset, she briefed the participants on IFC and its areas of work. She stated that IFC works across all sectors but tourism is a priority for it.

She continued her presentation with the challenge of staying competitive. She stated that most governments today are well versed in the language of competitiveness, and quickly identify broad areas for improvement. Investment climate is just one tool to enhance competitiveness. She stressed that the key is in identifying how and at what point investment climate reform will impact competitiveness, and what other tools should be employed.

She presented the Mozambique as a case study. IFC assisted the Mozambique government in developing and implementing a tourism investment program. This program includes investment climate reform, private-sector investment strategy and procurement approach to attract qualified eco-tourism investors for a 70,000 ha reserve. She identified some of the key challenges in Mozambique and proposed solutions to address these challenges. She pointed out that investment climate cannot stand alone. It has to be supported by direct promotion and investment generation.

Ms. NEVILL concluded her presentation by mentioning some success factors and pre-conditions for Investment Climate work. These are:

- Government commitment to tourism and to reform

- Identified market failure

- Transformative potential.

Moreover, she highlighted that effective programs need to be inclusive, implementable, cross-cutting and private-sector driven.


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7. Private Sector Perspective on Tourism Investment Climate

Under this agenda item, the first presentation was made by Ms. Shola BAYRAMOVA, Deputy Director of Heritage Travel Tour Company of Azerbaijan. In her presentation, Ms. BAYRAMOVA focused on tourism potential of Azerbaijan and investment environment. She stated that legislation adopted in tourism field in Azerbaijan and “State Program on Tourism Development” provide establishment of stable business environment in this domain. Accordingly, numerous small enterprises, family firms and hotel chains made investment in the country. Ms. BAYRAMOVA concluded her presentation by stating the problems they faced as the private sector. These are, among others, the need for long-term credits in tourism field, high taxes and infrastructure needs.

Mr. Emrullah AKÇAKAYA, General Manager of Swissotel Ankara and member of Touristic Hotels & Investors Association (TUROB) made the second presentation under this agenda item. Mr. AKÇAKAYA gave brief information on TUROB. He expressed that the voice of hospitality industry in Turkey, TUROB has over 350 members and allied members comprising mainly hotels representing approximately 80.000 beds as well as congress centers, restaurants, etc. After a short market overview of tourism and hospitality, Mr. AKÇAKAYA mentioned some of the key challenges they face in tourism investments. Some of these challenges are:

- Investments in infrastructure proceed more slowly when compared to tourism investments.

- Bureaucratic processes related to investments need to be minimized. Planning and permission processes at pre-investment period take a long time due to conflicts of authorization and lack of coordination between institutions.

- The regulations should be harmonized.

- As for planning tourism investments, economic sustainability, local welfare, employment quality, safety, cultural richness, physical integration, biological diversity, resource efficiency and environmental protection criteria must be taken as basis and the planning process must be flexible, transparent and accountable.

- Long-term loans with low interests should be provided to the industrial actors for renewal of tourism facilities.

The last presentation under this agenda item was made by Mr. Barış HAŞEMOĞLU, Executive Committee Member of Turkish Tourism Investors Association (TYD). Mr. HAŞEMOĞLU started with introducing TYD. He stated that TYD is a Non-Governmental Organization whose main objective is to bring the tourism investors together and provide assistance to solve their problems and preparation of future plans. He informed the participants that TYD members have invested in accommodation, marinas and yachting, tourism oriented land and air transport, tour operating, touristic shopping centers, entertainment and recreation facilities and golf courses. The total investment portfolio is around USD 24 billion, which represents 2/3 of the private investments in Tourism in Turkey. Mr. HAŞEMOĞLU concluded his presentation with the main problems faced by the tourism sector in Turkey. He explained these problems under the following headings: problems related to accommodation facilities, infrastructure, unfair competition, education of staff, transportation and tax.


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8. The Way Forward: Utilizing the New COMCEC Project Cycle Management (PCM)

Mr. Mustafa TEKİN, Director at the COMCEC Coordination Office made a presentation on the Project Cycle Management (PCM) introduced by the COMCEC Strategy. First, Mr. TEKİN informed the participants about where the PCM stands in the COMCEC Strategy.

Mr. TEKİN briefly explained the PCM concept. After underlining the basic qualifications of the COMCEC PCM as “simple and clearly defined procedures and financial framework”, he highlighted the potential project owners. It was emphasized that relevant ministries and other public institutions of the Member Countries and the OIC Institutions operating in the field of economic and commercial cooperation could submit projects.

Mr. TEKİN continued his presentation with the clarification of “Project Selection Criteria” namely, compliance with Strategy’s Principles, targeting strategic objectives of the Strategy, focusing on output areas and pursuing multilateral cooperation among the COMCEC Member Countries. In the following sections, nature of the projects (Technical Cooperation and Capacity Building) and several eligible activities were explained. Eligible activities comprised of research, analytical studies, guides, roadmaps, study visits, conferences, workshops etc.

During the presentation, three key actors and their responsibilities under the PCM were identified; Project Owner (Project Submission and Implementation); the CCO (Program Management) and the Intermediary Bank (Project Monitoring and Financing). Moreover, steps and roles of these key actors throughout the project application process were defined.

Monitoring of projects was another issue explained in the presentation. Mr. TEKİN presented that the Bank would be mainly responsible for financial and technical monitoring of projects while the CCO would oversee the overall implementation of the PCM.

With respect to the financial framework, Mr. TEKİN emphasized that the funds are grant in nature and would be provided by the COMCEC Coordination Office. From the illustration of the indicative grant limits and co-finance rates for the COMCEC projects, it was seen that Member Countries could submit a project with a budget up to USD 250.000 with the condition that they have to cover at least ten percent of project total budget (cash or in kind). This amount would be USD 100.000 for the OIC Institutions and at least twenty five percent should be covered by the project owner.

Lastly, Mr. TEKİN informed the participants of the timeline which has already started with the first project call on September the 2nd, 2013. Mr. TEKİN stated that member countries and the OIC Institutions have shown great interest to the first call. The successful projects to be financed by the CCO have been announced and implementation period would begin in early April 2014. The participants were reminded that the 2nd project call will be made in September 2014.


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9. Closing Remarks

The Meeting ended with closing remarks of Mr. Mr. Mohd Daud Mohd ARIF, Chairman of the Meeting and Mr. Metin EKER, Director General of the COMCEC Coordination Office.

In his remarks, Mr. ARIF thanked all the participants for giving him the opportunity to moderate the Meeting. He also thanked all the delegates, representatives of private sector and international institutions for their invaluable contributions and the COMCEC Coordination Office for the excellent organization.

Mr. Metin EKER thanked all the participants for their precious attendance and valuable contributions. He underlined that the observations, comments and critiques of the participants on the documents prepared specifically for the Tourism Working Group Meetings would be mostly welcomed in order to improve their quality. He informed the participants that the next (4th) Meeting of the Tourism Working Group will be held on September 4th, 2014 in Ankara with the theme of “Enhancing the Capacity of Tourism Workforce in the COMCEC Region.” Moreover, Mr. EKER reminded the participants that the 30th Session of the COMCEC would be held on 25-28 November 2014 in İstanbul. 30th COMCEC Exchange of Views Session would be on the theme of “The Role of Public Private Partnerships for the Development of the Tourism Sector in OIC Member States.” Mr. EKER invited all the participants to the above-mentioned Meetings.

Mr. EKER also added that Project Cycle Management (PCM) is a very important instrument of the COMCEC Strategy. It was designed to make cooperation ideas discussed during the meeting into concrete actions in tourism sector. He reminded that the 2nd project call will be made in September 2014 and invited the Member Countries as well as the relevant OIC Institutions to develop their projects.

Before concluding, Mr. EKER thanked again all the participants and wished them a safe trip back home.

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Annex 1: Agenda of the Meeting

3rd MEETING OF THE COMCEC TOURISM WORKING GROUP

(March 4th, 2014, Ankara)

“Enabling Tourism Investment Climate in the COMCEC Region”

DRAFT AGENDA

Opening Remarks

1. The COMCEC Tourism Outlook

2. Global Trends in Tourism Investments: Benefits and Risks

3. Providing Enabling Tourism Investment Climate in the COMCEC Region: Challenges and Prospects

4. Success Stories of the Member States

5. International Institutions’ Perspective on Tourism Investment Climate

6. Private Sector Perspective on Tourism Investment Climate

7. The Way Forward: Utilizing the New COMCEC Project Cycle Management (PCM)

Closing Remarks -------

---


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Annex 2: Program of the Meeting

DRAFT PROGRAMME OF THE 3rd MEETING OF THE COMCEC TOURISM WORKING GROUP

(March 4th, 2014, Ankara, Crown Plaza Hotel)

“Enabling Tourism Investment Climate in the COMCEC Region”

08.30-09.00 Registration

09.00-09.15 Opening Remarks

09.15-10.00 The COMCEC Tourism Outlook

- Presentation: Ms. Aslı TAŞMAZ DADAKOĞLU

Expert

COMCEC Coordination Office

10.00-10.45 Global Trends in Tourism Investments: Benefits and Risks

- Presentation: Mr. Scott WAYNE

President

SW Associates

Question(s) for discussion

How does your country perceive the recent global trends

regarding tourism investments?

10.45-11.00 Coffee Break


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11.00-12.45

Enabling Tourism Investment Climate in the COMCEC Region: Challenges

and Prospects

- Presentation: Mr. Manuel Lisandro Knight

Project Manager

SW Associates

Question(s) for Discussion:

How do you evaluate the role of government agencies for

attracting tourism investments? What is the situation in your

country?

What are the main challenges faced by your country in attracting

tourism investments?

How can these challenges be overcome and how can the

cooperation among the Member States be constituted in order to

handle these issues?

12.45-14.00

Lunch

14.00-16.00 Success Stories of the Member States

16.00-16.15 Coffee Break

16.15-16.40

16.40- 17.30

International Institutions’ Perspective on Tourism Investment Climate

- Presentation: Ms. Hermione Nevill

Operations Officer International Finance Corporation (IFC), World Bank Group Private Sector Perspective on Tourism Investment Climate

- Presentation: Ms. Shola Bayramova

Deputy Director Heritage Travel Tour Company, Azerbaijan

- Presentation: Mr. Emrullah Akçakaya

General Manager, Swissotel Ankara

Touristic Hotels & Investors Association (TUROB)


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- Presentation: Mr. Barış Haşemoğlu Executive Committee Member Turkish Tourism Investors Association (TYD)

Question(s) for Discussion:

Does your country have programs/projects for encouraging

private sector investments in the field of tourism? What are your

country experiences regarding these programmes/projects?

17.30-17.50

17.50-18.00

The Way Forward: Utilizing the New COMCEC Project Cycle Management

(PCM)

- Presentation: Mr. Mustafa Tekin

Director

COMCEC Coordination Office

Closing Remarks


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Annex 3: List of Participants

LIST OF PARTICIPANTS OF THE 3rd MEETING OF THE COMCEC TOURISM WORKING GROUP

(March 4th, 2014, Ankara)

A. INVITED STATES REPUBLIC OF AZERBAIJAN - Ms. MALEYKA HUSEYNOVA Chief Counsellor, Ministry of Culture and Tourism - Ms. SHOLA BAYRAMOVA Deputy Director, “Heritage” Travel Agency ARAB REPUBLIC OF EGYPT - Mr. HOSSAM EL-DIN ANWAR General Manager of Audit Projects, Ministry of Tourism REPUBLIC OF INDONESIA - Mr. RONALD PANTUN MARISI Tourism Investment Staff, Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy - Mr. LOKOT AHMAD ENDA

Secretary to the Director General of Tourism Destination Development, Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy

- Mr. ROBERTUS IRAWAN RIYANTO HADI Minister Counselor, Embassy of Indonesia in Ankara ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN - Ms. SAEEDEH NAZARI Expert, Iranian Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organisation - Ms. ROMINA HADIPOUR Expert, Iranian Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organisation REPUBLIC OF IRAQ - Mr. BASIM AL-ELAYAWI Employee, Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities


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- Mr. REDAB AL-BAYATI Employee, Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities KYRGYZ REPUBLIC - Ms. ELVIRA KOENALIEVA Attache, Embassy of the Kyrgyz Republic in Ankara LIBYA - Mr. RASHED ABU GHUFA First Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs & International Cooperation - Mr. ELHADI DANDI Employee, Ministry of Tourism - Mr. ABDULFATAH ABUSAGH Employee, Ministry of Tourism - Mr. MOHAMED SHELLID Minister Plenipotentiary, Embassy of Libya in Ankara

MALAYSIA - Mr. MOHD DAUD MOHD ARIF Undersecretary of Industry Development, Ministry of Tourism and Culture - Ms. FARAH IBRAHIM Senior Assistant Secretary, Ministry of Tourism and Culture - Mr. BAHRUDDIN SULAIMAN Director, İstanbul Office of Tourism Malaysia REPUBLIC OF MOZAMBIQUE - Mr. JOSE FARIA Head of Department Monitoring and Planning, Ministry of Tourism - Ms. KATIA MOMADE TAQUIDIR Adviser to the Board, Mozambique Tourism Authority SULTANATE OF OMAN - Mr. ALI AL-KHABURI

Adviser-Financial and Managerial Development Affairs-Minister Office, Ministry of Tourism


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- Ms. AMINA AL-BALUSHI Director of Statestics and Giographical Information, Ministry of Tourism - Ms. FATMA AL-LAWATI Tourism Affairs Researcher, Ministry of Tourism KINGDOM OF SAUDI ARABIA - Mr. BANDER ALANAZI Senior Investment Specialist, Saudi Commission for Tourism & Antiquities - Mr. NAYEF ALMOTIRI

Acting Manager for Partnership & Agreements, Saudi Commission for Tourism & Antiquities REPUBLIC OF SENEGAL - Mr. OUSMANE NDOYE Director of Investments, Ministry of Tourism - Mr. FATOU MBAYE Tecnical Advisor, Ministry of Tourism and air Transports REPUBLIC OF TUNISIA - Mr. ANIS HAJRI Counselor, Embassy of Tunisia in Ankara REPUBLIC OF TURKEY - Mr. BAHADIR RAMAZAN ÇOKÇEVİK Deputy General Director, General Directorate of Publicity - Ms. FİLİZ KÖSE Controller in Chief, General Directorate of Investment and Establishments - Mr. FERHAT ÖZKAN Head of Section, General Directorate of Investment and Establishments - Ms. PINAR BİLGEN Coordinator, General Directorate of Publicity - Mr. ERKUT ATALAR Coordinator, Directorate of Foreign Relations and EU Coordination


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- Mr. MUSTAFA ÖZSOY Expert, Directorate of Foreign Relations and EU Coordination - Ms. ELÇİN BARIN Expert, General Directorate of Investment and Establishments GUEST - Mr. SCOTT WAYNE

President, SW Associates, LLC- Sustainable Development Through Tourism - Mr. MANUEL LISANDRO KNIGHT Senior Tourism Adviser, Knight Consult LLC - Mr. EMRULLAH AKÇAKAYA General Manager, Touristic Hotels and Investors Association (TUROB) - Mr. BARIŞ HAŞEMOĞLU Executive Committee Member, Turkish Tourism Investors Association (TYD) B. INVITED INSTITUTIONS ISLAMIC CENTRE FOR DEVELOPMENT OF TRADE (ICDT) - Mr. MOHAMMED YASSINE JERRARI Documentalist, ICDT INVESTMENT CLIMATE ADVISORY SERVICES, WORLD BANK GROUP (IFC) - Ms. HERMIONE NEVILL Operations Officer, Tourism STATISTICAL, ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL RESEARCH AND TRAINING CENTER FOR ISLAMIC COUNTRIES (SESRIC) - Mr. Dr. CEM TİNTİN Researcher C. COMCEC COORDINATION OFFICE - Mr. METİN EKER Director General, Head of COMCEC Coordination Office

- Mr. MUSTAFA TEKİN Head of Department


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- Mr. SELÇUK KOÇ Head of Department - Ms. AYLİN ŞENOL GÜN Expert, Drafting - Ms. ASLI TAŞMAZ DADAKOĞLU Expert, Drafting - Ms. ÖZLEM AŞIK Expert, Drafting - Mr. MUSTAFA ADİL SAYAR Assistant Expert, Drafting

- Mr. NAZIM GÜMÜŞ Protocol Relations - Mr. AHMET OKUR Assistant Expert, Protocol Relations - Ms. MÜKERREM ÖZKILIÇ Coordinator of Registration Office - Ms. EBRU ÇETİNKURŞUN KANYILMAZ Assistant Coordinator of Registration Office

- Ms. EMİNE DEMİREL - Coordinator of Documentation Center - Mr. KEMAL ARSLAN Coordinator of Meeting Rooms

- Mr. ERCAN İBİK Coordinator of Transportation

- Ms. LEYLA AŞK Social Program

- Mr. MEHMET C. AKTAŞ Assistant Expert, Drafting - Mr. OKAN POLAT Assistant Expert, Protocol Relations

- Mr. EMRE KEYİFLİ Photographer

Documents

COMCEC TOURISM WORKING GROUP€¦ · PROCEEDINGS OF THE 3RD MEETING OF THE COMCEC TOURISM WORKING GROUP ON “ ENABLING TOURISM INVESTMENT CLIMATE IN THE COMCEC REGION ” (March