The Minister of Tourism and Chairman of the Executive Council of UNWTO, Ahmed bin Aqeel Al-Khateeb, participated in the Investing in Tourism: Opportunities and Challenges in Sustainable Financing Conference, themed Effective Partnerships in Financing the Tourism Sector.
The conference took place during the 50th meeting of the Regional Committee for the Middle East in Muscat.
During a dialogue session at the conference, the minister emphasized that Saudi Arabia is collaborating with UNWTO member states in the Middle East to develop the region’s tourism sector, given its global significance. He highlighted that:
The Middle East possesses the necessary resources for successful investment in the tourism sector and has the potential to become one of the world’s top tourist destinations, offering everything that global tourists seek.
Al-Khateeb pointed out that Saudi Arabia has begun developing its tourism sector as part of Vision 2030, and the efforts have increased the sector’s contribution to the Kingdom’s economy from 3% to 4.5% by the end of last year. The goal is to raise the sector’s contribution to 10% by 2030. He stated, “The Kingdom will revolutionize the global tourism map, and the opportunities and support we offer to investors will make the tourism sector more appealing. We are taking distinctive steps to build the sector.”
Saudi Arabia’s rich heritage and traditions have been shaped by its position as a historic trade hub and the birthplace of Islam. In recent years, the Kingdom has undergone a significant cultural transformation, evolving century-old customs to fit the contemporary world of today.
