Bethlehem – Together – Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Hani Al-Hayek received the Ambassador of the Republic of Malta to the State of Palestine, Ambassador Franklin Aquilina, at the headquarters of the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities in Bethlehem.

Al-Hayek welcomed Ambassador Franklin, stressing the depth of Palestinian-Maltese relations in various fields, especially in the tourism field.

Al-Hayek spoke about the latest developments and the crisis that the Palestinian tourism sector is suffering as a result of the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip, stressing the work of the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities to pursue a number of programs and plans to ensure the return of tourism activity to Palestine immediately after the end of the aggression.

Al-Hayek pointed out the necessity of joint work between Palestine and Malta to ensure direct networking between the Palestinian tourism sector and its Maltese counterpart, which will contribute to Maltese tourists coming to Palestine within Palestinian
tourism programs and using Palestinian tourist facilities such as hotels, transportation, oriental antique stores, and others.

For his part, Ambassador Franklin Aquilina affirmed Malta’s readiness for joint bilateral cooperation with Palestine in various fields, especially in the field of tourism promotion and the field of preserving cultural and archaeological heritage.

The meeting discussed ways to develop cooperation in the tourism field, especially global tourism promotion, by examining ways to exchange information and experiences related to global tourism promotion, in addition to discussing ways to achieve the exchange of joint introductory visits between the Palestinian tourism sector and its Maltese counterpart, with the aim of reviewing the experiences, plans and programs used by both countries.

Source: Maan News Agency