Lebanese Republic 
Salam from Manama
Tourism is the most important industries in the Lebanese economy; we totally agree to open airspace with Bahrain
Minister of Economy and Trade, Amin Salam, held a meeting in Manama with Bahrain's Tourism Minister Mrs. Fatima bint Jaafar Al Sairafi, to discuss means of enhancing cooperation between the two countries.
It sis to mention that this meeting is one of series of meetings that Minister Salam held during his visit to the Kingdom of Bahrain to participate in the thirty- third Arab Summit works whereof Minister Al Sairafi underlined the importance of pushing forward the bilateral relations toward wider horizons; stressing the continuous progress of the joint cooperation on all levels, including the sector of tourism, travel and hospitality as well as the growth and prosperity of this sector in addition to its significant contribution in the Gross Domestic Product and the acceleration of the national growth processes in the two brotherly countries.
Furthermore, the meeting touched on the importance of meetings held during the “Bahrain Summit” , namely the meeting of the Economic and Social Council of the Arab League Council in supporting the tourism integration between Arab countries; increasing the inter-Arab tourism rates, in such a way that increase the contribution of the tourism sector in the national growth of these countries and boost the historical, cultural and social integration between their people.
Minister Al Sairafi also noted the abundance of areas to enhance joint Arab touristic work, including cooperation in the field of promotion of tourism; keeping up with digitization in the industry and tourism sectors; promotion of touristic sites and destinations in the Arab world in addition to the touristic innovation.
Salam
On his turn, Minister Salam highlighted the importance of enhancing the exchange between Lebanon and Bahrain, especially in the commercial, industrial and touristic level, given the significant importance of these sectors in recovering economies and boosting growth. He also stressed the importance of elaborating a unified vision between the ministries in Lebanon in order to diversify the sources of the Government’ income; to work on opening Arab markets, namely the Gulf one, for the Lebanese products and industries in addition to the tourism sector for being a promising sector to attract investments and tourists from the Arab countries in general and Gulf countries, in particular.
Furthermore, Salam underlined the need to work diligently in order make Lebanon regain his role as tourism hub; noting that is necessary to reactivate direct flights between Manama and Beirut in order to enhance the touristic calendar and cooperation between both countries.
