The UAE participates in the meeting of the tourism ministers of the Group of Twenty
Mabumallaga on September 13 / WAM / The UAE participated in the meeting of the Group of 2025 tourism summit, which was held in the city of Mbumallaga, South Africa.
The state delegation was chaired by His Excellency Abdullah bin Touq Al -Marri, Minister of Economy and Tourism.
The meeting discussed a number of priority issues to upgrade the global tourism sector, foremost of which are promoting digital innovation, financing and sustainable investment, expanding air linking, and building flexibility in this vital sector.
His Excellency Abdullah bin Touq stressed during his speech that the UAE, thanks to the directives of the wise leadership, has established its position among the most prominent tourist destinations in the world, through the development of an advanced infrastructure, the launch of flexible legislation, and the implementation of qualitative investments that strengthened the competitiveness of the sector and its attractiveness at the regional and global levels.
His Excellency pointed out that the tourism sector is an essential pillar in economic diversification efforts, and a pivotal element in achieving the targets of the vision of “We Emirates 2031”, by raising its contribution to the local product and increasing the number of visitors, in a way that enhances the role of the state as a leading global tourism and travel center.
His Excellency Abdullah bin Touq said, “The meeting of the Group of Twenty Tourism is a strategic platform to support international efforts to enhance the tourism sector, as the state is keen to continue supporting the priorities presented, foremost of which is artificial intelligence and digital innovation, promoting sustainable financing, and expanding the air linking, as well as establishing flexibility in a way that ensures a comprehensive development that benefits all societies.”
He stressed that the UAE views this international event as an opportunity to exchange experiences and build partnerships that serve the future of tourism globally, and is committed to enhancing joint work with its partners in the Group of Twenty to ensure the totalitarian transformation and keep pace with technological development.
His Excellency Ibn Touq reviewed the national efforts towards enabling the principles of sustainability and digital innovation in the tourism sector, the most prominent of which is the launch of the fifth edition of the most beautiful winter campaign in the world 2024 under the slogan “Green Tourism”, which established the concepts of tourism diversity, by encouraging green tourism patterns and sustainable agricultural and environmental tourism, which creates a fertile tourist market for investments and projects in this sector.
His Excellency explained that the UAE put the digital transformation at the heart of the “National Tourism Strategy 2031” .. He said, “The financing of tourism and sustainable investment is a vital pillar to ensure the continuity of the sector and growth through innovative financing programs and qualitative partnerships with development banks, and linking air destinations as an essential element in the sustainability of global tourism, in light of the UAE continuing to invest in modern airline networks and integrate multimedia transportation systems and modernization of structure Infrastructure, in addition to adopting digital travel solutions that contribute to facilitating the movement of mobility globally.
In detail, the meeting discussed ways to accelerate the adoption of digital solutions and artificial intelligence to support small and medium enterprises and startups in the tourism sector, as well as new mechanisms for financing sustainable tourism investments.
The meeting also reviewed plans to enhance air linking by developing air tracks, liberalizing markets and integrating transportation patterns, in addition to discussing measures to enhance the sector’s flexibility in the face of health, climatic and economic crises.
The tourism sector in the UAE continues to record strong and growing growth rates during the past years, as the hotel establishments received during the first half of this year more than 16 million inmates with a growth rate of 5.5 compared to the same period in 2024, while the number of hotel occupancy nights increased to 56 million nights, an increase of 7.3%, and the average accommodation period was 3.5 nights.
The revenues of the hotel establishments increased to more than 26 billion dirhams, with a growth rate of 6.3% compared to the same period last year, while the hotel occupancy rate reached 80.5% during the first six months of this year.
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