Youth from across the GCC engage in fruitful discussions on day one of the Oasis of Dialogue Forum

Doha – QatarDebate Center

The majority of participants in the Oasis of Dialogue Forum in the Sultanate of Oman, which is jointly organized by the QatarDebate Center and the OmanDebate Center under the title “Identity and Tourism in the Gulf Cooperation Council Countries,” unanimously agreed on the importance of tourism in building bridges of communication and understanding between the peoples of the region. And the world, and its essential role in enriching cultural exchange between the Gulf states and the rest of the nations, and promoting the dissemination and definition of the Gulf identity, while some participants indicated that tourism may have some impact on the Gulf identity.

An elite group of young people, officials and dignitaries from the Gulf countries participated in the forum, which was held in Muscat from January 5 to January 9, 2024 under the patronage of His Highness Marwan bin Turki Al Said, Governor of Dhofar, and in partnership with the Omani Ministry of Culture and Sports. The forum included two intensive days of workshops, sessions and dialogues with the participation of 50 young people from the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, during which they discussed the issue of “identity and tourism in the Gulf Cooperation Council countries.”

The program of the first forum of its kind included a group session entitled “National Identity in the Gulf Cooperation Council Countries,” which was held on January 6 and moderated by Professor Maryam Al-Kharbooshi, Director of Cultural Identity at the Omani Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth, who said: “I was honored to present this session at the Oasis of Dialogue Forum, and I saw “Distinctive interaction of students and participants at the level of knowledge, culture, and self-confidence when they interact, discuss, and ask questions.”

The QatarDebate Center continues its efforts to cooperate with the OmanDebate Center with the aim of raising the level of cooperation and coordination between them. These efforts began to bear fruit last September, when the two parties signed a memorandum of understanding to stimulate dialogue and discussions, to promote intellectual growth, critical thinking, and cultural and scientific exchange, including This includes organizing events and tournaments in this context.