BY RAYNALD C RIVERA
DOHA: The inaugural annual GCC Handicrafts Exhibition, which formally opened yesterday, provides needed boost to the handicraft industry as a vital segment of the Gulf’s tourism sector.
The expo showcases works of some 30 artisans from Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Oman. Miniature dhows, wooden chests, palm leaf products, textile, pottery, jewellery and traditional clothes are among the products on display.
“The exhibition is important because it gives us an opportunity to introduce our products and know others’ and share ideas on how we can improve them and do business together,” Naima Abdullah Al Maimani, an Omani jewellery designer told this daily.
He said the handicraft industry of Oman is progressing, thanks to government support to people engaged in the handicraft industry, especially those working on traditional handicraft.
“The government is doing its part to prevent traditional handicrafts from disappearing. The handicraft industry is doing,” she said, adding a national handicraft authority has been established to take care of the sector.
The five-day expo is organised under the theme ‘Woven with the Thread of Heritage’ under the patronage of the GCC tourism ministers who opened it to portray GCC culture and heritage. It follows an agreement during the first GCC tourism ministerial meeting in Kuwait last year.
The expo is taking place on the sidelines of the Second GCC Tourism Ministerial Meeting which opened yesterday.
At the opening session of the meeting, GCC Assistant Secretary-General for Cultural and Media Affairs Dr Khalid bin Salim Al Ghassani praised the efficient organisation of the meeting and Qatar’s efforts in organising the first GCC handicraft exhibition.
“I hope the expo will be a success and achieve its goals. I look forward to seeing the exhibition continue travelling between member countries in the years to come,” he said.
He also praised efforts of member countries towards developing tourism which, he said, requires further cooperation. He stressed that tourism is an important sector for diversifying sources of national income. The expo at Sheraton Doha Hotel’s Al Majlis Hall is open until Saturday from 9am to 1pm and 4pm to 9pm.
The Peninsula
