The Shura Council State of Qatar

The Shura Council held its regular weekly meeting at Tamim bin Hamad Hall on Monday, under the chairpersonship of HE Speaker of the Council Hassan bin Abdullah Al Ghanim.

At the outset of the meeting, HE Secretary-General of Shura Council Nayef bin Mohammed Al Mahmoud read out the session's agenda, and the minutes of the previous session were approved.

During the session, the council reviewed the report of its Financial and Economic Affairs Committee on the request for general discussion submitted by a number of Their Excellencies members of the council, in regard to developing the tourism economy and studying possible solutions that lead to its development and advancement.

In the context of discussing the report, HE Speaker of the Council Hassan bin Abdullah Al Ghanim pointed out that tourism has become a self-contained industry, as it constitutes a complex economy in which the public and private sectors interact to create an integrated tourism experience.

His Excellency highlighted the country's keenness to advance the tourism sector and support it with the aim of diversifying sources of national income, pointing out - in the same context, the role of the Shura Council in supporting the country's efforts to advance this important sector.

As he reviewed the report, HE Head of the Financial and Economic Affairs Committee Mohammed bin Youssef Al Mana noted that, the meetings held by the committee to discuss the issue, by inviting several officials from the concerned authorities, in addition to the members of the committee discussing the responses received from those authorities regarding the committee's proposal.

His Excellency stressed the tourism industry must be a sustainable industry that does not end with the end of the activities during specific periods, in line with Qatar National Vision 2030 and its third pillar of economic development.

He also emphasized the great competitiveness that the State of Qatar enjoys in the field of tourism attractions, stressing the need to invest in this advantage in order to achieve its sustainability.

After extensive discussions of the report's outcome, and the exchange of views and opinions in its regard, the council decided to submit a proposal to the esteemed Cabinet on the aforementioned topic.

The proposal included several visions that would contribute to the development of the tourism sector as well as the involvement of the public and private sectors in supporting and promoting it. The visions included emphasizing that the targeted tourism be compatible with the values, customs and traditions of the Qatari society, derived from the Islamic law.

The proposal also called for supporting private sector initiatives in establishing tourism projects, to encourage domestic tourism, and to provide the necessary support to Qatar Tourism, with the aim of building sustainable tourism, as well as to create a mechanism for the visa system according to easy and quick procedures, and develop entry procedures through land, air and sea ports, to be more flexible.

The proposal stressed the need for Qatar Tourism to improve the investment environment for the tourism sector, pointing out the importance pre-preparing and promoting programs for annual tourism events, in accordance with the religious values as well as the customs and traditions of the Qatari society.

As the session continued, the council was informed of the esteemed Cabinet's response to the proposal submitted by the council regarding the violations of some individuals and companies and their impact on the wild environment, after which the council took the appropriate decision in their regard.

On the other hand, the council reviewed the report on the participation of its delegation of Arab Parliament members in the Arab Parliament session on the Palestinian cause, which was held in December 2023, under the slogan 'Supporting Palestine and Gaza.' As he presented the report, HE member of Shura Council and member of Arab Parliament Salem bin Rashid Al Meraikhi pointed out that the Arab Parliament issued a statement at the conclusion of the session, in which it affirmed its firm position towards the Palestinian cause. He praised the resistance and national struggle of the Palestinian people to end the occupation.

The report's statement called for working by all means to achieve a ceasefire and stop the genocide and ethnic cleansing against Palestinians.

The council also reviewed the report of the participation of Their Excellencies members of Shura Council Abdulla bin Jaber Al Lebdah and Mubarak bin Mohamed Al Kuwari in the 5th extraordinary Meeting of Permanent Committee on Palestine at the Parliamentary Union of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), and the first meeting of the Palestine Committee of the Asian Parliamentary Assembly (APA), which were held in Tehran, Iran in January 2024.

During the presentation of the report, HE Mubarak Al Kuwari indicated that the two meetings addressed the situation in the Gaza Strip, the suffering that the brotherly Palestinian people have been subjected to as a result of the continuing aggression committed by the Israeli occupation forces against the Strip, and ways to mobilize parliamentary efforts to support the brotherly Palestinian people.