Middle East Members back UN Tourism’s Vision for the Region as Education and Sports Tourism Leader

• Middle East
• 13 Feb 2025

UN Tourism’s Member States from across the Middle East have met again to guide the continued growth of the sector across the region. The 51st session of the Regional Commission welcomed high-level delegations from 13 Member States, including eight Ministers of Tourism to assess achievements, analyse sector trends and focus on key priorities.

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.

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

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.

Related Links

• Download News Release on PDF
• UN Tourism: Regional Department for the Middle East

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Middle East Members Prioritize Innovation and Investments as UN Tourism Regional Commission Meets for 50th Time

• Middle East
• 22 May 2024

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

More diverse, more innovative tourism

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.

Related links

• Download News Release on PDF
• UN Tourism Regional Department for the Middle East
• The 50th UN Tourism Regional Commission for the Middle East and the Conference on “Investing in Tourism: Opportunities and Challenges in Sustainable Financing”
• Investments Strategy

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UN Tourism Members Promote Investment and Education as International Arrivals to the Americas Grow

• Americas
• 30 Apr 2024

The 69th meeting of the UN Tourism Regional Commission for the Americas brought together prominent representatives of countries of the region in the Cuban city of Varadero. The meeting addressed the challenges and opportunities of the tourism sector that the region is facing.

The meeting was held in a positive context, as data for 2023 shows an 88% recovery in international arrivals, compared to the results recorded before the pandemic. This percentage translates to 1.3 billion trips globally, which is 34% more than in 2022.  

In the case of the Americas, the UN Tourism Secretary-General, Zurab Pololikashvili, highlighted the good figures recorded, which even exceeded the global average: “The region recovered 90% of pre-pandemic levels in 2023. In addition, only four subregions around the world have increased the number of arrivals compared to the 2019 figures, with two of them belonging to the region’s area of influence: Central America and the Caribbean, with growth of 5% and 1% respectively. For its part, South America almost reached the results of 2019, recovering 94% of arrivals, while North America registered 87%. These figures lead us to consider a new scenario for tourism in the Americas." 

The investment framework in the region 

For its part, South America almost reached the results of 2019, recovering 94% of arrivals, while North America registered 87%. These figures lead us to consider a new scenario for tourism in the Americas.

Tourism investment was one of the main topics of the Regional Commission, taking into account that, between 2018 and 2023, Latin America and the Caribbean received 359 greenfield foreign direct investment (FDI) projects, which totalled 29.526 billion US dollars and represent more than 115,000 jobs.  

During the meeting, the specific case of Cuba was presented. The country is among the ten leading countries in terms of receipt of investment announcements in the tourism cluster. This list is headed by Mexico (109 projects announced) and Colombia (45), followed by Brazil and the Dominican Republic (with 33 each), Peru (30) and Argentina (24). This is followed by Cuba, Costa Rica and Chile with the same number of projects (17 each) and Ecuador with 6 initiatives. 

Likewise, in the presentation of the data, the importance of Latin American and Caribbean countries as investors in the Americas was also evident, since, in the same period between 2018 and 2023, entrepreneurs of the region made 80 greenfield foreign direct investment announcements, for a total of 3.898 billion US dollars.  

Education and technical training to create value in tourism development 

Education was another of the topics addressed at the meeting. Training plays a crucial role in empowering people with the skills and knowledge that tourism demands. These training activities allow them to evolve in their professional careers and move towards an improvement in employment, which has a direct impact on the development of the sector. 

Latin America has been able to recognize the importance of initiatives aimed at education and technical training promoted by associations, educational institutions, government agencies and private sector actors. In this way, it is intended to promote tourism growth that preserves cultural heritage and protects natural resources.  

In this regard, Natalia Bayona, Executive Director of UN Tourism assured: “Education is key for UN Tourism and is also present in relations with Cuba. In fact, the Organization has awarded a total of 960 scholarships in the region for online courses in our Tourism Online Academy, the virtual teaching platform with free and accessible courses for everyone. Of the total, 30 scholarships have gone to Cuba, the host country." 

Tourism Law Observatory for Latin America and the Caribbean 

Uruguay's candidature to host the office of the Tourism Law Observatory for Latin America and the Caribbean in Montevideo was also considered on the agenda of the conference.  

This entity, created jointly by UN Tourism and the Inter-American Development Bank, will be in charge of managing a pioneering digital tool that allows – in a continuous and systematic way – to collect, analyse, update and disseminate tourism regulations. The platform, which is being developed with the support of a network of academic collaborators and experts in Tourism Law, will include both the current regulations in the region and those that are in the process of development. 

Preparations for World Tourism Day  

The regional meeting closed with a review of the preparations for World Tourism Day, which will be celebrated on 27 September. In 2024, Georgia will host this celebration, which will take place under the theme 'Tourism and Peace' to highlight the role that the sector can play as a vehicle for agreement and an instrument of harmony.  

Related links:

• Download News Release on PDF
• International Tourism to Reach Pre-Pandemic Levels in 2024
• 69th Meeting of UN Tourism Regional Commission for the Americas
• Tourism Online Academy

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UNWTO Members Meet to Rethink Agenda for African Tourism

• Africa
• 27 Jul 2023

Tourism leaders from across Africa have met to rethink and realign the sector’s role as a driver of development and opportunity across the region.

At the 66th meeting of the UNWTO Regional Commission for Africa, Member States joined representatives from international organizations and the private sector to focus on opportunities around tourism jobs and investments while also recognizing the vital need to address challenges including the climate crisis.

The UNWTO Agenda for Africa has been adapted. Our vision for African tourism is also one of strong governance, more education and more and better jobs

Tourism in Africa: Bouncing Back

According to the latest UNWTO data, tourism across Africa is returning to strength following the unprecedented crisis caused by the pandemic:

• International arrivals across Africa were back to 88% of pre-pandemic levels at the end of the first quarter of this year.
• At the sub-regional level, North Africa is performing particularly strongly. Here, arrivals were actually 4% higher than the pre-pandemic levels of 2019 in the same period.
• Globally international tourism receipts reached USD 1 billion in 2022, a 50% growth in real terms compared to 2021. Among African destinations with available data, Morocco and Mauritius notably exceeded their 2019 tourism receipts in the first quarter of 2023.

Welcoming delegates, UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili said: "The UNWTO Agenda for Africa has been adapted. Our vision for African tourism is also one of strong governance, more education and more and better jobs. To achieve it, we aim to promote innovation, advocate for Brand Africa, facilitate travel, and unlock growth through investment and public-private partnerships.

Members meet in Mauritius

UNWTO welcomed delegations from 33 countries, including 22 Ministers of Tourism, two Deputy Ministers and four Ambassadors to the meeting, the most important annual event for the region's Member States.

Reflecting the high level of political support for the event, and for UNWTO's mission to guide tourism development across Africa, the meeting welcomed the attendance of the Prime Minister Republic of Mauritius Pravind Kumar Jugnauth, as well as Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Housing and Land Use Planning, Minister of Tourism, Republic of Mauritius, and Vice-Chair of the UNWTO Executive Council Steven Obeegadoo. Also in attendance were the African Union Commissioner for Trade and Development, Albert Muchanga, the Secretary-General of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), Chileshe Mpundu Kapwepwe, the Secretary-General of the Commonweath, Patricia Scotland KC, Special Advisor to the UNWTO Secretary-General Lai Mohammed, UN Resident Coordinator for Mauritius and Seychelles Lisa S. Singh, the Resident Representative of the UN Development Programme (UNDP) Amanda Seumaga, and representatives from the African Development Bank, the World Bank, and from IFEMA and the Tui Care Foundation.

Members were provided with an overview of UNWTO's achievements over the past year, with a particular focus on core priorities for tourism in Africa:

• Tourism Investments: UNWTO presented a new set of Investment Guidelines for Mauritius, designed to connected investors with tourism projects in the country. The Guidelines follow on from similar publications focused on Tanzania, with editions for Malawi, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda and Zambia in development. UNWTO has also held two Tourism Investment Forums in Africa.
• Gender Equality and Youth Empowerment: With tourism recognized for its unique ability to drive gender equality and empower African youth, Members were advised on the progress of the UNWTO Women in Tourism Leadership for Africa Committee, and the Organization's focus on education and training. Key achievements include the Travel Hospitality and Tourism Education Summit (Zambia, May 2023) and plans to open an International Academy in Nigeria.
• Advocating for 'Brand Africa': Members were provided with an update on UNWTO's work to empower African tourism professionals to take charge of the narrative, including through two editions of the Brand Africa Think Tank Dialogue and plans for a UNWTO Media Training Workshop.

In close collaboration with its Member States from across the region, UNWTO has also updated its Agenda for Africa – Tourism for Inclusive Growth. The revised roadmap reflects the new challenges of post-pandemic tourism and the priorities outlined by Members.

Tourism addresses climate action

UNWTO continues to lead tourism's shift to greater sustainability, recognizing the impact of extreme weather events, including the potential for heat waves to cut off the lifeline the sector offers for destinations worldwide. In Mauritius, Members were given an update of UNWTO's work around sustainability, most notably its leadership of the One Planet Tourism Network and the progress of the Glasgow Declaration on Climate Action in Tourism.

Tourism for rural development

Against the backdrop of the Regional Commission meeting, Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili enjoyed an official visit to Le Morne, recognized by UNWTO as one of its Best Tourism Villages. The Mauritian village of Old Grand Port was also awarded the accolade.

Related links

• Download the News Release in PDF
• The 66TH Meeting of the UNWTO Commission for Africa
• UNWTO Regional Department for Africa

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African Tourism United to Transform Sector for Growth and Opportunity

• Africa
• 7 Oct 2022

Tourism leaders from across Africa have come together to rethink the sector and its central role in driving growth and opportunity across the continent.

The 65th meeting of the UNWTO Regional Commission for Africa brought together around 25 Ministers of Tourism and high-level representatives from 35 countries as well as leaders from the private sector. Taking place in Tanzania just days after UNWTO celebrated World Tourism Day, the Commission meeting embraced that day’s theme of ‘Rethinking Tourism’, with a focus on innovation, branding, jobs and education and partnerships.

But we must look beyond just the numbers and rethink how tourism works so that our sector can deliver on its unique potential to transform lives, drive sustainable growth and provide opportunity everywhere in Africa

Welcoming delegates, UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili provided Members with an update of the Organization’s activities and accomplishments in the 12 months since the previous Commission meeting. He said: “Tourism in Africa has a long history of bouncing back. And it has shown its resilience again. Many destinations are reporting strong arrival numbers. But we must look beyond just the numbers and rethink how tourism works so that our sector can deliver on its unique potential to transform lives, drive sustainable growth and provide opportunity everywhere in Africa.”

Tourism recovery underway in Africa

The Regional Commission of Africa meeting was held as tourism’s recovery gets underway across the continent. According to the latest UNWTO data, for the first seven months of the year, international arrivals across Africa were 171% up on 2021 levels, driven largely by regional demand. To help Members capitalize on the sector’s return, and to build greater sustainability and resilience, UNWTO is prioritizing jobs and training alongside greater and more-targeted investment in tourism. On the eve of this week’s meeting, UNWTO launched a set of Investment Guidelines focused on Tanzania, designed to support foreign investment in the country.

His Excellency Kassim Majaliwa, Prime minister of the United Republic of Tanzania warmly welcomed all delegates and UNWTO officials, calling on them to “embrace sustainability” and highlighting the work Tanzania has been undertaking to protect the natural habitats and wildlife that help make it a popular destination while also increasing inclusivity in the sector. Tanzania’s Minister for Natural Resources and Tourism, Pindi Hazara Chana, also noted that the country is looking to diversity its tourism sector in order to boost arrival numbers and revenues over the next five years.

Short-term recovery and long-term transformation

Discussions at the the Commission meeting focused on both the immediate and longer-term recovery of tourism across the continent, including through redefining the roadmap of the UNWTO Agenda for Africa 2030. Key topics highlighted by the high-level participants included accelerating tourism for inclusive growth, advancing the sustainability of the sector and the role of public-private partnerships in achieving both of these goals. Alongside this, the heightened relevance of air connectivity, including low-cost air travel within Africa, as well as the pressing need to support small businesses (SMEs) in gaining the digital tools and knowledge they need to compete, was also discussed.   

To conclude the meeting, Members came to a consensus to host the meeting in Mauritius in 2023 and Algeria in 2024.

Related links:

• Download the news release in PDF
• 65th UNWTO Regional Commission for Africa
• World Tourism Day 2022: Rethink Tourism

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