Gulf Cooperation Council ministers discuss joint tourism strategy

Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) tourism ministers are adopting a unified approach when it comes to positioning the region as a pioneering tourist destination, Saudi Tourism Minister Ahmed Al-Khatib said.

Al-Khatib said that discussions between member states’ ministers is especially important in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic and its impact on the tourism sector regionally and globally.

During a meeting held remotely on Thursday and chaired by the UAE minister for entrepreneurship and small and medium enterprises, Ahmad bin Abdullah Humaid Belhoul Al-Falasi, Al-Khatib said that during the pandemic the Kingdom made “remarkable efforts to protect the sector at the local level.”

Al-Khatib said that the Tourism Ministry engaged in serious partnerships with international and local authorities, including the World Tourism Organization, which set up its first regional office in Riyadh.

He said that tourism ministers in the G20 countries held a series of meetings to confront the fallout from the pandemic, and the Kingdom took a number of initiatives to help the tourism industry’s recovery.

The meeting discussed topics including a comprehensive vision for joint tourism business, and strengthening cooperation between the tourism and culture sectors in GCC countries. Ras Al-Khaimah was approved as the capital of Gulf Tourism in 2021, provided that an exhibition of crafts and handicrafts is organized in the capital.