Riyadh kicked off on Wednesday the proceedings of World Tourism Day 2023, reported the Saudi Press Agency.
Held under the theme "Tourism and Green Investment", the event will witness the participation of over 500 government officials, tourism leaders and experts from 120 countries to promote growth, sustainability and interdependence among peoples, shape the future of tourism, and discuss the most prominent topics related to the tourism sector.
In a speech during the opening ceremony, Saudi Minister of Tourism Ahmed bin Aqil Al-Khateeb stressed that hosting the World Tourism Day in Riyadh is essential for Saudi Arabia.
Tourism is one of the most important economic sectors in the world as one in 10 people are employed in the domain, he remarked. Tourism can account for over 20% of some countries' GDP.
The minister referred to the growth of the sector and the increase in the number of tourists. Tourism has become a global industry, a stark departure from 1970 when tourism and global travel accounted for less than 3% of the global GDP.
Today, the sector is recovering strongly from the COVID-19 pandemic and will make up 10% of the global GDP. The number of passengers increased from 118 million in the early 1970s to nearly 1.5 billion in 2019, representing a 700% increase.
Al-Khateeb stressed the importance of cooperation among countries to achieve progress and growth in the sector in a more balanced and fair manner.
He underlined the importance of opening new horizons for tourism and helping small countries realize their aspirations through investments. He noted that if countries can unite regionally and even globally, the opportunities in the sector can double, and all can help build bridges among countries and the public and private sectors.
Al-Khateeb pointed out that the Saudi government has opened the door to international investments in the tourism sector and helped the private sector access global capital to build facilities that visitors expect and need in the Kingdom.
