H.E. Zehra Zümrüt SELÇUK met with H.E. Nizran NOORDIN, Director General of the Islamic Tourism Centre (ITC) of Malaysia on 21 September 2023 in Putrajaya, Malaysia.

H.E. Nizran NOORDIN expressed his gratitude to H.E. SELÇUK for her visit and appreciated SESRIC’s role towards enhancing its relations with ITC.

H.E. SELÇUK thanked H.E. NOORDIN and the ITC team for their warm welcome and discussed ways to strengthen joint activities between the two institutions in promoting Muslim-friendly tourism and its development in the OIC countries.

During the meeting, the two sides exchanged views on the latest trends and challenges in the tourism sector and elaborated on possible solutions to advance the sector in the OIC countries. Furthermore, they discussed ways and means of working together towards raising further awareness of Muslim-friendly tourism in OIC member countries.

H.E. SELÇUK underlined the importance of tourism in promoting economic growth and job creation in OIC member countries. She also emphasized the need for capacity building and knowledge sharing among national institutions to further develop and promote Muslim-friendly tourism products and services.

In addition, She pointed out SESRIC’s significant contributions to tourism development in OIC countries over the years, emphasizing its extensive range of published reports, such as:

• International Tourism in the OIC Countries: Prospects and Challenges
• International Tourism in the D-8 Member States: Status and Prospects
• Strategic Roadmap for Development of Islamic Tourism in OIC Member Countries

Sheding light on the findings of these reports, she underlined that these reports provide valuable insights and analysis on tourism development and Islamic tourism issues the OIC countries face. SESRIC’s comprehensive data collection and research contribute to informed decision-making processes, enabling OIC countries to tackle tourism development and Islamic tourism issues effectively and promote inclusive growth. This data is essential for formulating evidence-based policies and strategies to address socio-economic, tourism development, and Islamic tourism-related challenges, she added.

Furthermore, she provided an overview of recent years’ fruitful collaboration between SESRIC and ITC under the SESRIC Tourism Capacity Building Programme. She acknowledged the support of ITC throughout the years and highlighted the significant benefits of these activities for OIC member countries.

H.E. NOORDIN expressed ITC’s eagerness to strengthen its ties with SESRIC, praising SESRIC’s work in tourism development and recognizing the potential for mutual collaboration and shared expertise. He also highlighted ITC’s expertise in various areas of Islamic tourism development, such as capacity building, exchanging knowledge, research and development. ITC’s expertise in these areas can be leveraged to benefit OIC member countries in developing and promoting their Muslim-friendly tourism sectors, he added.

He also stated his confidence that closer cooperation between ITC and SESRIC can help OIC member countries realize Islamic tourism’s full potential, contributing to economic growth and poverty alleviation.

The meeting concluded with mutual consent on signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between SESRIC and ITC to enhance the existing strong ties between the two institutions. Both parties also discussed developing and submitting pertinent project proposals to the 11^th Call for Project Proposals of COMCEC Project Funding in the upcoming period.

Islamic Tourism Centre (ITC) was established to assist the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture of Malaysia in undertaking strategic tourism research and market intelligence as well as providing training and capacity-building services in relation to Islamic tourism. ITC is overseen by a Board of Directors comprising Government officials and key professionals in the tourism and hospitality industry as well as higher learning institutions. Aside from complementing and supplementing the functions of the Ministry, the ITC also serves as an advisory body, particularly in matters pertaining to Islamic tourism.