An extraordinary virtual meeting of the Arab Ministerial Council for Tourism was held to discuss ways of coordinating joint Arab efforts to overcome the dent made by the pandemic on the tourism sector in the Arab region.
The 22nd edition of the meeting, which was organised and chaired by Saudi Arabia, began with a speech by Ahmed Aboul Gheit, Secretary-General of the Arab League, who stressed the importance of joint Arab action to counter the negative effects of the pandemic.
Sultan bin Saeed Al Mansouri, Minister of Economy, participated, on behalf of the UAE.
In his speech, Al Mansouri stated that the current cooperation between Arab countries in the field of tourism is key to drafting procedures that will ensure the recovery of the tourism sector in the region.
The total decline in the global tourism industry is expected to be 57 percent to 78 percent by the end of 2020, equivalent to 850 million to 1.1 billion tourists, in addition to the loss of around 120 million jobs, as per the estimates of the World Tourism Organisation.
He highlighted the importance of the cooperation between tourism and travel organisations in Arab countries to regaining the trust of visitors, by following internationally approved safety protocols.
The UAE supports the efforts of the World Tourism Organisation, the Arab Tourism Organisation and the World Travel and Tourism Council regarding recovery plans and procedures, Al Mansouri noted.
He also highlighted the UAE’s move to provide major economic incentives worth AED282.5 billion, to the tourism sector.
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