ALEPPO (AA) - The Second Turkey-Syria Regional Tourism Meeting was held in Aleppo yesterday (Sunday).
Participating in the meeting held at the Sam El Sayeb Hotel, Turkish Minister of Culture and Tourism Atilla Koc indicated that two brothers, Turkey and Syria, must develop their relations in tourism.
Koc remarked that Turkey and Syria have religious, historical and cultural ties. ''The development of tourism between our states would be beneficial to our countries,'' told Koc.
''Trade, economy and tourism related activities are increasing constantly between Turkey and Syria. There exists great amount of Turkish interest in Syrian touristic destinations. Likewise, it is our goal to attract more Syrian tourists in the upcoming months. The meeting will help us accelerate our touristic relations,'' mentioned Koc.
Meanwhile, Syrian Minister of Tourism Sadallah Agha al-Kalaa indicated that they would like to take advantage of Turkey's experiences in the tourism sector. ''Turkey is one of world's most attractive tourist spots. Recently, we sent a group of private and public tourism officials from Syria to Turkey for training in the tourism sector. Once we find solutions to problems in passenger transportation, the number of tourists visiting each country will increase,'' commented al-Kalaa.
Some of the topics discussed at the meeting were the need to publicize touristic resorts and towns in both countries, improvement of customs facilities and possible joint investments in tourism. The delegations of both countries also decided to establish a ''Joint Tourism Commission.''
The next meeting will take place in Turkish southern city of Adana in 2006.
(SOL-MS)
2005-05-16