Tourexpi
Middle East Members back UN Tourism’s Vision for the Region as Education and Sports Tourism Leader
The
Middle East finished 2024 as the region with fastest recovery from the impacts
of the pandemic in the world. UN Tourism Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili
paid special recognition of the Commission’s hosts, Qatar, which is on track to
hit its target of welcoming 6 million tourists a year and growing tourism’s
contribution to GDP to 12%.
“The
Middle East stands out as one of the most exciting places for tourism right
now. The region is a leader in fields such as luxury tourism, wellness tourism
and sports tourism, and is also at the forefront of vital work to grow
investments into the sector and provide education and training for millions of
future tourism workers,” Secretary-General Pololikashvili said.
Middle
East: Tourism education leader
The
reports of the Secretary-General and the Regional Director for the Middle East,
focused on UN Tourism's work to support Members develop talent through
education and professional development. Key achievement include:
30,000
students – more than half of them women – have now signed up to the UN Tourism
Online Academy, which offers 50 courses from 18 academic partners, including
new courses just finalised with the support of Saudi Arabia.
The
UN Tourism Education Toolkit for tourism in High Schools is being implemented
in the United Arab Emirates.
10
new courses have been added to the Human Capital Development by E-Learning
Project with Saudi Arabia. The platform has also been upgraded to integrate
Artificial Intelligence.
Together
with its Member States, UN Tourism is advancing education-related activities
across the region. Notably, in Saudi Arabia, the Riyadh School of Tourism and
Hospitality is training tourism professionals and giving them relevant skills
to lead the sector forward.
Sports
Tourism key pillar of diversification
In
Doha, the growing relevance of sports tourism as a tool for economic
diversification was made clear, with the success of the Qatar FIFA World Cup of
2022 presented as a model for other destinations to follow.
The
FIFA World Cup, Formula 1 races in Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates, the
Dakar rally in Saudi Arabia, and the acquisition of major football players and
teams from around the world – were all recognized as helping make the Middle
East one of the most exciting and influential regions in world sports and
sports tourism right now. The relevance of this part of the sector was further
reflected in the hosting of a special one-day conference on Sports
Tourism and the Tourism Industry After the World Cup within the
framework of the Regional Commission.
Reflecting
UN Tourism's commitment to strengthening resilience and creating opportunities
through diversification, the significant potential of wellness tourism for the
region was also emphasized. Equally, the growing importance of gastronomy
tourism as a pillar of rural development and cultural heritage was underscored.
Regional
cooperation on display
In
accordance with the statutory obligations of the Commission, Member States
confirmed key appointments for the years ahead. In a spirit of regional
fraternity, Members agreed that Kuwait will serve as Chair as the Regional
Commission for 2025-27, with Qatar as first Vice-Chair and Iraq as second
Vice-Chair. Egypt and the UAE will sit on the UN Tourism Executive Council
(2025-29).
Meanwhile,
the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia will sit on the Committee on Tourism Online
Education (2025-29) and the UAE will sit on the Technical Committee for the
International Code for the Protection of Tourists for the same period.
To
conclude, Members agreed that the 52nd Regional Commission for the Middle East
will be held in the city of Kuwait, Kuwait, in 2026.
Image Credit: © UN Tourism
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