Morocco awarded media tourism prize Rabat – Manal Wahbi The fifth Arab Media Tourism Forum closed on Wednesday in Luxor, Egypt, amid anxiety among participants over the tragic balloon crash which took place in the city on of February 26, killing 19 tourists in the same city.
Morocco was awarded a prize for media tourism in an all-Arab celebration on Saturday in Cairo. Broadcaster Ebtissam Kotaibi received the award for her show al-Maghreb allathi oheb (My Morocco) which airs on M2. The head of the Moroccan Media Tourism Forum, Adel Ikliei, supported the programme's nomination and said the award testifies to the quality of Morocco's tourism media.
The conference concluded with recommendations that included backing Egyptian tourism. Participants toured the city and asserted that Luxor will remain a favoured destination for travellers worldwide. The tragic balloon crash was described as incidental and participants said it will not affect Egypt's place on the tourist agenda.
Participants also called for the establishment of an Arab tourism media professional charter to be announced at the next forum.
The participants also stressed the need for public and private tourism bodies to focus on new media and social network in order to maximise the results. They also urged education officials across the Arab world to introduce curricula that would paint Arabs in a good light and help students become part of the tourism industry.