A meeting led by UAE Ministers discussed ways to revive the country’s tourism sector, which is hit by the pandemic. During the high level meeting, Abdullah bin Touq Al Marri, Minister of Economy, Dr. Ahmad Belhoul Al Falasi, Minister of State for Entrepreneurship and SMEs, and Dr. Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, Minister of State for Foreign Trade, met with Khalid Jasim Al Midfa, Chairman of the Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority, SCTDA.
The attendees explored ways to revive tourism activities and consolidate the UAE’s position as a leading, diversified, and sustainable tourism destination at the regional and global levels.
The meeting which took place at the SCTDA’s headquarters in Sharjah, saw the Minister of Economy reiterate the tourism sector’s pivotal role in the country’s long-term sustainable development plans and economic progress.
Furthermore, the two sides discussed prominent tourism programmes and initiatives launched in Sharjah and the rest of the UAE. During the discussion, they agreed to strengthen coordination and cooperation to implement relevant initiatives included in the flexible packages and the 33-initiative plan that was unveiled to support key economic sectors.
Al Marri said, “With its developed and pioneering system, the UAE’s tourism industry performed well as evidenced by its impressive ratings and high rankings across many global indicators last year. For instance, it ranked first in the Middle East region and 33rd globally in terms of competitiveness. Tourism’s economic contributions last year were considered as well. According to the 2019 report of the World Economic Forum, the sector accounted for 11.9 percent of the UAE’s gross domestic product and created 745,000 job opportunities.”
“We will continue to strengthen our communication and coordination with the private sector entities operating in the tourism industry to monitor and follow-up on the most important developments in the sector and address present challenges brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic,” he added.
Dr. Al Falasi was upbeat that the tourism and hospitality sectors performed well in the past. As of the end of 2019, there are 1,136 hotel establishments with more than 183,000 rooms which welcomed nearly 27 million guests of various nationalities, a six percent increase compared to 2018.
During the meeting, Dr. Al Zeyoudi emphasised the role of the tourism sector in the UAE’s economic diversification, sustainable development and foreign trade policies. By the end of 2019, the total investment in tourism was more than AED27.5 billion.
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