His Excellency Ahmed Al Khatib, Minister of Tourism, Saudi Arabiacommented: “Tourism is a vital driver of growth, opportunity and development, and today we are at a global crossroads. Our sector has the potential to create 58 million jobs in 2022, growing to 330 million, just 1% below pre-pandemic levels. This can only be achieved with strong leadership, a clear vision and resources.
“The restart of tourism in many countries around the world provides a unique opportunity to rethink tourism management, communications and more. We have an incredible opportunity to forge a new path forward, create a strong future for the global tourism sector, and we must seize it. .”
In adopting the agenda of the meeting, Member States welcomed the report on current trends in international tourism presented by the UNWTO Secretary General. Zurab Pololikashvili along with UNWTO monitoring reports and tools developed in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak.
UNWTO Secretary-General HE Zurab Pololikashvili and HE Siandou Fofana, Minister of Tourism of Côte d’Ivoire and Chairman of the UNWTO Executive Board, said: “We have a joint responsibility to build a more sustainable tourism sector. We must rethink tourism development, reinvent tourism destinations and businesses, and rebuild the entire tourism ecosystem. The 116th session of the UNWTO Executive Council is the place where we come together to take the first steps towards this ambitious but vital goal. Saudi Arabiafor allowing us to meet in person and kick-start this journey.”
Two-day meeting held in the historic city Jeddah, is the largest in-person meeting of the Executive Board held since the start of the pandemic. The meeting, aimed at strengthening coordination among Member States to accelerate the recovery of global tourism, demonstrated the determination of the Executive Board to adopt a collaborative approach.
His Excellency joined Jeddah ministers and representatives of the 35 member states of the Executive Council, as well as world leaders in tourism and decision makers in the private sector.
***NOTE TO EDITORS
Ministry of Tourism Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia The Ministry of Tourism leads the tourism ecosystem in Saudi Arabia with the support of the Saudi Arabian Tourism Authority and the Tourism Development Fund.
The Ministry sets the strategy for the Kingdom’s tourism sector and is responsible for developing policies and regulations, developing human capital, collecting statistics and attracting investment. It works in partnership with the Saudi Arabian Tourism Authority which promotes Saudi Arabia as a global tourism destination, and the Tourism Development Fund, which implements the investment strategy of the Ministry by providing funding for the development of the sector.
The Ministry headed by His Excellency Ahmed Al Khatib was founded in February 2020after opening Saudi Arabia international tourist tourists for the first time in its history in 2019. Saudi Arabia aims to welcome 100 million tourist visits by 2030 by increasing the sector …
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