http://www.english.hadhramaut.info Yemeni and Malaysian tourism ministries to produce a film [The Source: 12/06/2007 - Yemen Observer] Yemen is soon to get a PR boost from a new film about tourism in the country. The Yemeni Tourism Ministry and the Malaysian Ministry of Tourism have signed an agreement to produce it, said Nabil al-Faqeeh, Minister of Tourism. Al-Faqeeh said that the agreement was made during his meeting with the Malaysian Tourism Minister, Datuk Seri Adnan on the sidelines of the World Conference of Tourism held in Malaysia late last week. “The film will be show through the Malaysian television channels,” he said.
“During the meeting, we discussed a number of topics relating to cooperation between the two countries in the field of tourism, including the possibility of making use of Malaysian experiments in this area,” he said. “Also, we discussed the possibility of attracting Malaysian companies for the rehabilitation and operation of the three-star hotel in Yemen to raise the level of the tourism services provided.” The Minister also said that on the sidelines of the conference, he had a number of meetings with the Secretary General of the World Tourism Organization, and representatives of the countries participating in the conference.
“During these meetings, we reviewed aspects of cooperation between Yemen and the participating countries in the field of tourism and ways to activate and develop it,” al-Faqeeh said. The World Tourism Conference was held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia from June 4 – 6, with 72 countries participating, including Yemen.
The conference produced a number of recommendations. Participants said that open wage policy should be applied; that poor communities should be engaged in tourism; and that improved services must be created to boost tourism and to raise the profile of tourism opportunities, as tourism is a fast-growing industry globally.
The participants in the conference recommended that there be a study of global tourism programs, so that Yemen and Malaysia could learn from them.  Also, they suggested that countries ensure the security of their tourist destinations, so that tourists will feel safe. They also stressed the importance of preserving the environment and recruiting people to serve tourism.
Foundations need to be laid for the maintenance of cultural, artistic and popular heritage, and entrench the concept of rural tourism. Participants urged about 800 decision makers in tourism throughout the world to pay more attention to the tourist sector, which continues to top the list of economic sectors in the world.