Within the framework of SESRIC’s Tourism Capacity Building Programme (Tourism-CaB) and in line with relevant resolutions of the 37th Session of the COMCEC and the 11th Session of the Islamic Conference of Tourism Ministers (ICTM), SESRIC and ICDT jointly organised a Training Webinar on “Prospects of Health Tourism in OIC Member Countries” on 8-9 November 2022 through an online video conferencing platform.

The training webinar was provided by competent experts and academicians from the Republic of Türkiye for the benefit of experts and executives from Tourism and Health Ministries and relevant national institutions of 25 OIC member countries.

The training webinar aimed to strengthen the knowledge and capacities of tourism experts and executives in this field and to provide insights into different aspects of health tourism, its potential in OIC Countries, and marketing and branding. The training webinar also served as a platform to exchange experiences and best practices among participants to enhance intra-OIC cooperation in this important niche tourism market. Representatives from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the Republic of Türkiye, the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture Malaysia (MOTAC), the Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council, the Jordan Tourism Board, and the Ministry of Tourism and Leisure of the Republic of Senegal also made comprehensive presentations presenting their countries’ challenges and success stories in this field.

The training webinar commenced with the opening remarks of Mr. Onur ÇAĞLAR, Director of the Training and Technical Cooperation Department at SESRIC, who highlighted the potential for the development of the health tourism industry in the OIC member countries. He stated that an increasing number of OIC member countries began to invest in this niche tourism market and establish regulatory frameworks in order to gain a higher share from it due to the market's potential for expansion. He also underscored the successful experiences of Azerbaijan, Indonesia, Iran, Jordan, Malaysia, Morocco, Türkiye and the United Arab Emirates, among others, in the promotion and development of health tourism in the OIC region. Before concluding, he thanked ICDT for its close cooperation and collaboration with SESRIC in organising this important training webinar as well as representatives from the national tourism authorities of Jordan, Malaysia, Senegal and Türkiye for highlighting the best practices and initiatives of their respective countries in this domain.

In her welcoming remarks, Mrs. Kadiatou DIALLO, Head of Department at ICDT, informed the participants about the importance of strengthening the capacities of the staff working in the field of health tourism in the OIC member countries and elaborating effective marketing and branding strategies as well as relevant policies at the national and regional level in view to benefit economically from this form of tourism. In her conclusion, she reiterated the engagement of her institution to continue enhancing collaboration with SESRIC in the common areas of interest to foster the sharing of knowledge, experience and best practices in the OIC region.

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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