Al-Othaimeen also noted that the objective of establishing the award is to bring to the fore the growing importance of tourism in the cooperation framework of the Organization, highlighting the OIC’s strategy for scaling up Islamic tourism through the development of tourism infrastructures, new investments in family-friendly hotels and leisure facilities. It is worth noting that Madinah was selected the ‘Capital of Islamic Tourism 2017’ during the 9th Session of Islamic Conference of Tourism Ministers (ICTM) held in December 2015 in Niamey, Niger, and was confirmed by the 43rd Session of the council of Foreign Ministers Of the Organization held at Tashkent, the Republic of Uzbekistan in October 2016. --SPA 13:07 LOCAL TIME 10:07 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/w335343