UN Tourism and Qatar Tourism have again joined to celebrate the best in innovation and excellence in service.
The second edition of the Qatar Tourism Awards welcomed around 1,200 applications from businesses and individuals working in the sector. The different categories and sub-categories were designed to reflect the diversity of Qatar's growing tourism sector. Between 2019 and 2024, international arrivals to Qatar grew by 147%, with the sector also a growing hub for tourism innovation and investments.
For 2024, the seven main categories featured at the Qatar Tourism Awards were:
Opening the ceremony, UN Tourism Executive Director Natalia Bayona said: "These awards reaffirm the importance of businesses, entrepreneurs and influencers in the modern tourism landscape, both in Qatar and globally. It is imperative that we recognize and invest in the best talent and ideas in order to transform our sector. We will keep working together to strengthen our community of leaders."
The winners were chosen by a panel of judges, featuring leading experts in the field. Continuing its support, UN Tourism contributed by including one of its officials as an international expert in the selection process. Basmah Al Mayman, UN Tourism Regional Director for the Middle East, highlighted that the Awards are evolving into a significant brand that embodies Qatar's commitment to development in tourism. By recognizing outstanding achievements across various sectors, the Awards align with the key priorities of UN Tourism to promote tourism as a driver of economic growth and comprehensive development.
In his opening remarks, H.E. Saad Al Kharji, Chairman of Qatar Tourism, emphasized the vital role of UN Tourism in the success of this initiative. He reiterated the strong commitment of Qatar Tourism to delivering exceptional service and positioning Qatar as the fastest-growing tourism destination in the world. Finally, he encouraged all tourism stakeholders to apply for future editions, inviting them to play a part in shaping the future of tourism in Qatar.
UN Tourism joined Qatar Tourism for the launch of the 2nd edition of the Qatar Tourism Awards at Rexios Premium Qetaifan Island North in Doha. This initiative celebrates excellence in the tourism sector, recognizing outstanding achievements, innovations and individuals that contribute to making Qatar a top global destination.
UN Tourism Director of Technical Cooperation, Mr. Jaime Mayaki, joined the Chief Executive Officer of Qatar Tourism, Mr. Omar Abdulrahman Al Jaber, for this announcement during the official press conference attended by several media representatives, sector stakeholders, and key government officials, including the CEO of Visit Qatar, Mr. Abdulaziz Al Mawlawi. The launching of the 2nd edition highlights the collaboration efforts between our two entities in promoting excellence in tourism development in Qatar.
We invite key tourism stakeholders in Qatar to submit their applications in this link (deadline: 8 August 2024)
UN Tourism will make use of a new electronic voting system for the meetings of its key statutory meetings and other meetings of its Governing Bodies.
Under an agreement announced during the 121st session of the UN Tourism Executive Council, the United Arab Emirates will sponsor the implementation and maintenance of a Mobile Application integrated platform. The platform includes an electronic voting system for the Organization that would be available at the meetings of its Governing Bodies (the General Assembly and the Executive Council) and its subsidiary organs. It also offers other features such as documentation management, online registration process and interactive communication between participants, among other features.
The adoption of the new electronic platform sponsored by UAE further underscores UN Tourism’s commitment to the digital transformation of every part of the tourism ecosystem, as well as its ongoing focus on promoting innovation and modernizing its processes.
UN Tourism’s Member States in the Middle East have looked to the future, coming together to focus on boosting investments into the sector and growing new products to build resilience and expand inclusivity.
The Regional Commission for the Middle East welcomed high-level delegations from 13 Member States, including eight Ministers of Tourism. Welcoming delegates, UN Tourism Secretary-General invited all Members to join him in celebrating the Golden Jubilee of the Commission, noting that, over the course of 50 meetings, they have worked together to grow tourism both in size and in impact right across the region.
Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili provided Members with an update on the Organization’s work since the Commission last met (Jordan, June 2023), with special attention to key priorities of tourism education, jobs and investments. Opening the meeting he said: “Now, we can confidently say that the Middle East is a true global tourism leader. Not just in terms of arrivals, but the region is influencing our sector’s development everywhere in the world. It is a hub of tourism innovation and education. And it is a leading investor, backing big ideas and ambitious projects with the power to transform tourism at every level.”
Now, we can confidently say that the Middle East is a true global tourism leader. Not just in terms of arrivals, but the region is influencing our sector’s development everywhere in the world
Following the reports of the Secretary-General and the Regional Director for the Middle East, the focus switched to building a more diverse, resilient and innovative sector. Reflecting UN Tourism’s commitment to build resilience and create opportunities through diversification, the significant potential of wellness tourism for the region was made clear. So too was the growing importance of gastronomy tourism as a pillar of rural development and cultural heritage. In Muscat, Secretary-General Pololikashvili formally presented the Omani Minister of Tourism and Heritage with a brochure on Gastronomy Tourism in the Sultanate.
Also high on the agenda were education and investments. The Middle East has emerged as a leading hub of both. With UN Tourism, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is taking the lead in providing professional education and training to tens of thousands of tourism workers, including at the new Riyadh School of Hospitality. The region is also an investment hub, with 254 greenfield projects announced in the Middle East between 2018 and 2023, representing a total capital investment of USD 15.2 billion. Reflecting this, the second day of the Commission will feature a special Conference on "Investing in Tourism: Opportunities and Challenges for Sustainable Financing.”
In the build-up to the commission meeting, His Highness Sayyid Fahd bin Mahmoud Al-Said, Deputy Prime Minister of the Council of Ministers of Sultanate of Oman, held a special audience with the UN Tourism Secretary-General and with the Heads of delegations. His Excellency welcomed the opportunity to host the landmark 50th meeting of the Regional Commission, as well as its first since the rebranding of UNWTO to UN Tourism.
To conclude, Members agreed that the 51st Regional Commission for the Middle East will be held in Doha, Qatar, in 2025.
UN Tourism has presented a new volume of its “Tourism Doing Business: Investment Guidelines”, this time with a focus on the investment potential of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.
The report was launched at the Conference "Investing in Tourism: Opportunities and Challenges for Sustainable Financing", part of the 50th UN Tourism Regional Commission for the Middle East. Elaborated in collaboration with the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities of Jordan, the guide provides a comprehensive overview of the socioeconomic reality of the Kingdom, its tourism performance, and investment opportunities.
In front of an audience composed of high-level officials, investors, and experts from across the region, UN Tourism highlighted the appealing value proposal of the country, which counts with globally recognized UNESCO World Heritage sites, a New Wonder of the World, Petra, and unique natural attractions with celebrated therapeutic benefits.
H.E. Mr. Makram Queisi, Minister of Tourism and Antiquities of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, affirmed: "One of Jordan's driving forces of recovery is the active and solid partnership we have with the private sector. The government of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan has embarked on legislative reforms targeting investment as a whole by introducing a new investment law and also significant reforms in the tourism law. These reforms are the result of direct and continuous dialogue with the private sector. We are taking solid steps into transforming Jordan into a haven for investors, and with the help of our formidable partnership with UN Tourism and the introduction of the UN Tourism investment guide of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan we are on the right track".
Natalia Bayona, UN Tourism Executive Director, who presented the report's content at the conference, stated: "Jordan offers a one-of-a-kind tourism proposition with a rich umbrella of options that include seven subsectors such as medical and wellness tourism, film tourism, business or agritourism. This diverse offer is paired with institutional stability, strategic policymaking, and a robust recovery of post-pandemic tourism figures."
Jordan is a global destination that has shown its tourism resilience through its outstanding performance during 2023.
Some key insights in the "Tourism Doing Business – Investing in Jordan" report include:
The Jordanian economy has experienced a steady growth rate of 2.2% and has kept inflation stable at an average rate of 2.1% over the past decade. IMF projections suggest that Jordan's GDP recorded a 2.6% increase in 2023, and it is expected to grow by 2.6% in 2024 and 3.0% in 2025.
In 2023, tourism generated USD 7.4 billion of foreign inflows, surpassing pre-pandemic levels by 28%, and confirmed its role as one of the main sources of income to the economy and motor for the country's GDP growth.
The guidelines also provide a detailed analysis of the investment outlook and greenfield investment dynamics. When it comes to Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), FDI inflows surged by 83% in 2022, reaching the mark of USD 1.1 billion, which nearly matches the country's 10-year average inflow. A trend that seems to have continued into 2023.
The country is also implementing a series of strategies to strengthen its competitiveness and investment frameworks and to support the growing innovative entrepreneurial ecosystem: the Economic Modernization Vision (2023 – 2030), the Investment Promotion Strategy (2023 – 2026), and the Jordan National Tourism Strategy (2021 – 2025). These initiatives are projected to attract additional investments of around USD 3.8 billion in the tourism sector by 2033.
Basmah Al-Mayman, Regional Director for the Middle East, said: "Supported by sizeable investments, tourism diverse products and Jordan's natural beauty, tourism can be an engine of job creation and growth in the country. Tourism investment offers opportunities for economic diversification and market-creation when effectively managed".
