Minister of FNC Affairs proposes federal authority for tourism and archeology

In a first of its kind initiative within the UAE, the FNC also passed a new federal law on animal welfare. The new law comes as part of the government's policy to adhere to international regulations and also represents Islamic values.

The move for a new federal law for tourism and archeology will create a unified federal set up to bring together all the efforts carried out by local authorities on these sectors. The law also reiterates the government's commitment to creating a federal organizational structure for all relevant bodies working towards tourism growth and conservation of the UAE's heritage sites and archeological monuments.

Dr. Gargash stressed that the move highlights the current tourism boom witnessed by the UAE. 'The initiative is meant to capitalize on the tourism growth and organize all marketing and international cooperation under one federal umbrella. This will enable greater time and resources management and further help to boost the impact of the UAE's tourism sector internationally,' he said.

H.E Abdul Rahman Mohammed Al Owais, Minister of Culture, Youth and Community Development said that archeology, currently managed by local authorities, should also be brought under one federal umbrella. The FNC members decided to re-evaluate the draft law by a special FNC committee to further develop these new goals.

H.E Abdul Rahman Mohammed Al Owais, Minister of Culture, Youth and Community Development said in support of the law that archeology, currently managed by local authorities, should also be brought under this federal umbrella.

'In a changing world of opportunities, we need effective tools to manage our needs and resources within the tourism sector on a national scale. We have to adopt a holistic approach towards the tourism sector on both the local and international scale.'

'The main purpose of the new law is to give a federal umbrella to all aspects of our economy, which currently does not include tourism and archeology,' Al Owais added.

Dr. Gargash stressed that the views presented by H.E Abdul Rahman Mohammed Al Owais, Minister of Culture, Youth and Community Development, were supportive of the need of establishing a national board to manage the tourism and archeology sector. The new board will be effective in drawing up integrated strategies and will underpin all efforts to grow the country's tourism sector further.