• Saudi Arabia hosts largest UNWTO Executive Council meeting since pandemic
• UNWTO Secretary General and Ministers praise Saudi focus on tourism
• UNWTO agenda focuses on key global issues in tourism

JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia, June 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Saudi Arabia hosted the official opening of the 116^th UNWTO Executive Council Meeting today, a powerful vehicle that brings together global tourism leaders to shape the future of the sector.

Saudi Arabia Hosts the Largest UNWTO Executive Council Meeting since Pandemic

As First Vice Chair of the UNWTO Executive Council, His Excellency Ahmed Al Khateeb discussed with global leaders how tourism must be a key part of a stronger and more sustainable world and called for greater collaboration to accelerate the sector's recovery.

His Excellency Ahmed Al Khateeb, Minister of Tourism, Saudi Arabia, commented: "Tourism is a vital driver of growth, opportunity, and development and today, we are at global cross-roads. Our sector could create 58 million jobs in 2022, to reach more than 330 million, just 1% below pre-pandemic levels. This can only be achieved with strong leadership, a clear vision, and resources. 

"Tourism's restart in many countries around the world offers a unique chance to rethink tourism governance, communications and beyond. We have an incredible opportunity to set a new way forward, to create a strong future for the global tourism sector, and we must seize it."

Adopting the Meeting agenda, Member States welcomed the report on current trends in international tourism provided by UNWTO Secretary General Zurab Pololikashvili alongside UNWTO monitoring reports and tools developed since the outbreak of COVID-19.

UNWTO Secretary-General, His Excellency Zurab Pololikashvili, and His Excellency Siandou Fofana, Minister of Tourism of Côte d' Ivoire and Chair of the UNWTO Executive Council, said: "It is our joint responsibility to shape a more sustainable tourism sector. We must re-think tourism development, re-invent tourism destinations and businesses and re-build the whole of the tourism eco-system. The 116th UNWTO Executive Council is where we come together to take the first steps towards this ambitious but vital goal. Thank you, Saudi Arabia, for enabling us to meet in person and kick-start this journey."

The two-day meeting, held in the historical city of Jeddah, is the biggest in-person, Executive Council meeting held since the pandemic began. Aimed at fostering strong coordination between member states to boost the recovery of global tourism, the meeting demonstrated the Executive Council's determination to adopt a joined-up approach.

His Excellency was joined in Jeddah by Ministers and representatives from 35 Member States of the Executive Council, alongside global tourism leaders and private sector decision-makers.

***NOTE TO EDITORS

Ministry of Tourism of Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Tourism leads the Saudi Tourism ecosystem, with support from the Saudi Tourism Authority and the Tourism Development Fund.

The Ministry sets the Kingdom's tourism sector strategy and is responsible for the development of policies and regulations, developing human capital, gathering statistics, and attracting investment.  It works in partnership with the Saudi Tourism Authority, which promotes Saudi Arabia as a global tourism destination, and the Tourism Development Fund, which executes the Ministry's investment strategy by providing funding for the sector's development.

Headed by His Excellency Ahmed Al Khateeb, the Ministry was founded in February 2020, following the opening of Saudi Arabia to international leisure tourists for the first time in its history in 2019.  Saudi Arabia aims to welcome 100 million tourism visits by 2030, increasing the sector's contribution to GDP from 3% to 10%.

About the United Nations World Tourism Organization

The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) is the United Nations agency responsible for the promotion of responsible, sustainable and universally accessible tourism.

As the leading international organization in the field of tourism, UNWTO promotes tourism as a driver of economic growth, inclusive development and environmental sustainability and offers leadership and support to the sector in advancing knowledge and tourism policies worldwide.

Saudi Arabia Hosts the Largest UNWTO Executive Council Meeting since Pandemic

Saudi Arabia Hosts the Largest UNWTO Executive Council Meeting since Pandemic

Saudi Arabia Hosts the Largest UNWTO Executive Council Meeting since Pandemic