The Government of Kuwait is encouraging the growth of tourism industry which has been lost due to security and political reasons.
To this end Kuwait joined the World Tourism Organisation (WTO) last month, becoming the 140th member state. Kuwait established a Tourism Board in April last year within the organisational structure of the Ministry of Information, chaired by an assistant under secretary, Nabeela Al-Anjari . The Board is in the process of selecting an international consultancy firm to set out the "Kuwait Tourism Master Plan" for the next 20 years. This project will be executed in cooperation and coordination with the World Tourism Organisation (WTO) and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and is expected to start implementation by mid-2004. The Board is keen on attending tourism conferences and exhibitions, such as: The International Tourism and Bourse (ITB), the World Travel Market (WTM) and the Arabian Travel Market (ATM) for this year (2003). Also, it is going to be part of various other exhibitions and conferences to promote Kuwait this year. Kuwait has great potential and the suitable infrastructure to foster tourism. Kuwait started to expand its international airport to accommodate tourism growth. Revival measures also including building and constructing malls, recreation sites and various international brand hotels. Speaking to TTN, the World Tourism Organisation secretary general Francesco Frangialli during his visit to Kuwait's stand at ITB said that the timing of Kuwait's decision was symbolic, especially when facing difficulties. "They have their own economic resources to build on tourism diversification, better the conditions of Kuwait and provide young Kuwaitis with jobs. "The WTO will assist Kuwait in producing a masterplan for their domestic, regional and International Tourism sectors. The travel industry is very resilient. It overcomes bad times very quickly," said Frangialli.