The tie-up comes at a time when tourism to the region continues to suffer from fears of terrorism after September 11, and a potential war against Iraq.
Bahrain Tourist Board and Tunis Air are among brands that have expressed interest in joining the body, which will be called the Arabian Travel and Tourism Industry Association (ATTIA).
ATTIA has been established as a limited company by two marketers: Stephen Tuckwell, who was head of marketing at Gulf Air until the end of last year; and Ian Dockray who has worked for British Airways and Emirates.
Tuckwell says there has been an enormous amount of interest from the tourist authorities of Arab countries, which are gathered in London this week to exhibit at World Travel Market.
It would be the first time Arab brands have linked up to promote the region as a whole and follows a difficult period for many tourist boards. Just as Egypt recovered tourist numbers after the 1997 massacre of tourists in Luxor, President Bush was prompted to launch his 'war on terror'. In recent years, there have been isolated terrorist attacks in Tunisia, Jordan and the Yemen.
This summer sales of package holidays to Tunisia fell by 19%, according to ACNielsen. The Association of British Travel Agents made a point of holding its annual industry conference in Cairo, Egypt, this year, with the aim of restoring confidence in the region.
"There's a perception that the Middle East is a war zone. But there's little knowledge of individual countries and the diversity of the region," said Tuckwell.
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