Today, on March 26th 2015, a meeting has been held in Barcelona between the Association of the Mediterranean Chambers of Commerce and Industry (ASCAME) represented by the Coordinator of the Association, Mr Anwar Zibaoui, and the International Hotel and Restaurant Association (IHRA) represented by the Honorary Chairman, Dr Ghassan Aidi, to analyze the creation and the launching of the Mediterranean Hotel and Restaurant Association (MHRA).

ASCAME, as main representative of the private sector in the Mediterranean and aware about the strategic importance of the tourism and especially the hospitality sector in the whole region, supports the initiative of gathering, within the same association, all the hospitality sector of the Mediterranean, and will collaborate in the launching and consolidation of this new organization.

The Mediterranean tourism industry represents 30% of the world tourism industry and employs 12% of the workforce. It also represents 20% of the region’s GDP.