07 February 2005
MUSCAT -- Two sessions were held yesterday as part of the international conference on 'Built Environments for Sustainable Tourism' (BEST) which opened here yesterday.
The conference is organised by the Ministry of Tourism in conjunction with the World Tourism Organisation (WTO) and the Unesco.
Dr Hiba Abdul Aziz, an expert from the Ministry of Tourism, outlined the concept of sustainability in tourism development, which she said, should not be restricted to natural environment.
The conference was also addressed by the director of WTO's tourism sustainable development section and the director of Aga Khan Foundation for Architectural Engineering.
The first session was held under the theme: heritage and its adapted reuse for tourism purposes and chaired by Hassan bin Mohammed bin Ali, adviser of Ministry of Heritage and Culture. Case studies discussed in this session covered historical sites of Casa Morisca Hotel in Spain, Pousadas Hotel in Portugal, Malabar House in India and the classical Taiba Zaman village in Jordan.
In the second session, moderated by Sultan bin Hamdoun Al Harthy, secretary-general of the Tender Board, the conferees discussed designing and construction of modern tourism facilities.
Papers presented focused on construction of the Rural High-End Hotel in Rumania, Sotorande resort in Spain, Eljuna resort in Egypt and Chedi Muscat Resort Hotel.
The BEST conference, involving over 200 delegates from all over the globe, is focusing on the tourism projects all around, ranging in scale from eco-lodges to regional master plans for mass tourism.
The forum will go a long way in making the tourism industry in Oman a sustainable activity, complementing the overall development in the Sultanate. -- ONA
MUSCAT -- Two sessions were held yesterday as part of the international conference on 'Built Environments for Sustainable Tourism' (BEST) which opened here yesterday.
The conference is organised by the Ministry of Tourism in conjunction with the World Tourism Organisation (WTO) and the Unesco.
Dr Hiba Abdul Aziz, an expert from the Ministry of Tourism, outlined the concept of sustainability in tourism development, which she said, should not be restricted to natural environment.
The conference was also addressed by the director of WTO's tourism sustainable development section and the director of Aga Khan Foundation for Architectural Engineering.
The first session was held under the theme: heritage and its adapted reuse for tourism purposes and chaired by Hassan bin Mohammed bin Ali, adviser of Ministry of Heritage and Culture. Case studies discussed in this session covered historical sites of Casa Morisca Hotel in Spain, Pousadas Hotel in Portugal, Malabar House in India and the classical Taiba Zaman village in Jordan.
In the second session, moderated by Sultan bin Hamdoun Al Harthy, secretary-general of the Tender Board, the conferees discussed designing and construction of modern tourism facilities.
Papers presented focused on construction of the Rural High-End Hotel in Rumania, Sotorande resort in Spain, Eljuna resort in Egypt and Chedi Muscat Resort Hotel.
The BEST conference, involving over 200 delegates from all over the globe, is focusing on the tourism projects all around, ranging in scale from eco-lodges to regional master plans for mass tourism.
The forum will go a long way in making the tourism industry in Oman a sustainable activity, complementing the overall development in the Sultanate. -- ONA
© Times of Oman 2005
