Within the framework of SESRIC’s Tourism Capacity Building Programme (Tourism-CaB) and in line with the relevant resolutions of the 11^th Islamic Conference of Tourism Ministers (ICTM) as well as the 48^th Session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), the Centre organised a Training Course on “Strengthening Institutional Capacities in the Field of Halal Tourism Industry to Improve the Competitiveness of Tourism Destinations” on 19-21 July 2022.

The training course was provided by competent experts from the Islamic Tourism Centre (ITC) under the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture Malaysia for the benefit of 79 experts and executives from Ministries of Tourism and National Tourism Institutions in 23 OIC Member Countries.

The training course aimed at strengthening the human and institutional capacities in the field of Halal tourism to improve the competitiveness of tourism destinations in the OIC Member Countries. Participants of the training course developed a better understanding of ways and means of designing policies and strategies to position different regions and provinces of their countries as competitive Islamic tourism destinations.

The training course commenced with the opening statement of H.E. Mr. Nebil DABUR, Director General of SESRIC, who provided a general overview of the current state of Halal Tourism in OIC countries and the challenges faced in this area during the COVID-19 pandemic. He also briefed the participants on the efforts and initiatives of the Centre and the relevant OIC fora in this domain. Before concluding, he reiterated the readiness and willingness of the Centre to continue to support and contribute to the efforts of the OIC Member Countries towards the development and promotion of Islamic tourism in their respective countries.

H.E. Dato’ Dr Mohmed Razip Haji HASAN, Director General of the Islamic Tourism Centre (ITC) Malaysia, addressed the participants during the closing session of the training course. He stressed the importance of strengthening the institutional capacities of national tourism institutions in the OIC countries, mainly through capacity building and sharing of experience in the domain of Islamic tourism. The involvement of relevant stakeholders, including policymakers, the private sector, national tourism boards and local authorities, is required for establishing the right ecosystem and condition within the destination to support Islamic tourism development, he added. Before concluding, he expressed the desire to further cooperate with SESRIC and relevant national institutions in the OIC Member Countries towards developing Halal Tourism Industries.

SESRIC developed and initiated its Tourism Capacity Building Programme (Tourism-CaB) in 2015. The Programme aims at supporting and contributing to the efforts of the OIC Member Countries towards strengthening institutional and human capacities by sharing knowledge, experiences and best practices among the relevant Ministries and national institutions in charge of tourism. Within this framework of this Programme, the Centre organises capacity-building activities by using various modalities such as training courses, training workshops, and study visits. For more information on SESRIC’s Tourism Capacity Building Programme (Tourism-CaB), please visit: https://www.sesric.org/cbp-oic-tourism.php

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