RIYADH: The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia will host tomorrow in its capital, Riyadh, the world's largest gathering of tourism leaders to celebrate World Tourism Day in an event described as the biggest commemoration of the anniversary that began 43 years ago.
The event, celebrated by the World Health Organization, will be attended by over 500 leaders, experts, and officials from 120 countries worldwide under the theme "Tourism and Green Investment," with the aim of promoting investment in people, the planet, and prosperity.
The tourism sector in Saudi Arabia is one of the key pillars of the "Saudi Vision 2030" with the aim of contributing to job opportunities, sustainable social development, and economic growth.
The World Tourism Organization described Saudi Arabia as the second-fastest-growing tourist destination in the world, with visitor numbers increasing by 64 percent in the first quarter of this year compared to the same period in 2019.
As part of Saudi Arabia's efforts to become a hub for both business and tourism, the Saudi Cabinet approved a new tourism system at the end of August.
Saudi Minister of Tourism Ahmed Al-Khateeb said that this system not only provides solutions to current problems but also envisions future tourism patterns.
The new system provides sufficient flexibility to the tourism sector given its rapid development and integration with modern technologies, through a new tool: experimental tourism activity permits aimed at creating a feasible tourism environment for all emerging sector activities.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in his annual message, "Tourism is a powerful force that can be harnessed to drive progress and promote mutual understanding." He added, "On this World Tourism Day, we recognize the urgent need for green investments to build a tourism sector that benefits people and the planet." In this context, he stressed the importance of governments and companies investing in sustainable tourism practices that can withstand crises.
During the two-day global tourism celebration in Riyadh, the spotlight will be on the importance of investing in projects that serve the interests of people and nations through investments in education, skills, the environment, sustainable infrastructure, accelerating the green transition, prosperity, innovation, technology, and entrepreneurship.
It is worth noting that Riyadh hosted the Global Summit of the World Travel and Tourism Council last year and is home to the regional office of the World Tourism Organization in the Middle East."
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