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Saudi Arabia Launches Int’l Center for Sustainable Travel, Tourism Research

Countries including the US, China, France, Spain and the Netherlands will be involved in the research, in what is viewed as a key step toward worldwide tourism sustainability (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Countries including the US, China, France, Spain and the Netherlands will be involved in the research, in what is viewed as a key step toward worldwide tourism sustainability (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Saudi Arabia Launches Int’l Center for Sustainable Travel, Tourism Research

Countries including the US, China, France, Spain and the Netherlands will be involved in the research, in what is viewed as a key step toward worldwide tourism sustainability (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Countries including the US, China, France, Spain and the Netherlands will be involved in the research, in what is viewed as a key step toward worldwide tourism sustainability (Asharq Al-Awsat)

The Sustainable Tourism Global Center (STGC) has unveiled a new global research hub on the sidelines of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Climate Week in Riyadh.

This initiative, spearheaded by the Saudi Ministry of Tourism, aims to serve as a reference for applied research, best practices, and practical tools designed to expedite the travel and tourism sector's transition towards achieving zero carbon neutrality.

The establishment of this center is a response to the fact that the travel and tourism sector has been responsible for over 8% of global greenhouse gas emissions since 2019.

Without measures to curb these emissions, carbon emissions in the sector are expected to increase by 20% by 2030.

The center has stated its intention to address this issue by forming partnerships with 100 universities and international organizations from around the world by 2030.

These collaborations will focus on investing in practical tools and resources that will promote sustainability within the sector.

Notably, prestigious academic institutions in the US, China, France, Spain, and the Netherlands have already joined the research hub to realize this vision on the ground.

Ahmed Al-Khateeb, Saudi Arabia’s tourism minister, hailed the launch of the center.

“Our objective is clear. With the support of the Sustainable Tourism Global Center and the Ministry of Tourism, we aim for the (new) center to be an indispensable hub of solutions and tools, benefiting every stakeholder,” he said.

The Saudi Tourism Ministry’s special adviser, Gloria Guevara, highlighted the importance of trustworthy tourism data in empowering sustainability projects.

The research hub can serve as a “beacon of modern, trustworthy information” targeted to the particular needs of small and medium-sized businesses, tourists and local communities, she added.

As part of its launch, the research hub showcased a variety of sustainable solutions for the industry, including solar thermal water heaters and sustainable food options.

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Bitcoin is at Doorstep of $100,000

Bitcoin tokens and a price chart are seen in this illustration picture taken November 21, 2024. REUTERS/Remo Casilli/Illustration
Bitcoin tokens and a price chart are seen in this illustration picture taken November 21, 2024. REUTERS/Remo Casilli/Illustration
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Bitcoin is at Doorstep of $100,000

Bitcoin tokens and a price chart are seen in this illustration picture taken November 21, 2024. REUTERS/Remo Casilli/Illustration
Bitcoin tokens and a price chart are seen in this illustration picture taken November 21, 2024. REUTERS/Remo Casilli/Illustration

Bitcoin topped $98,000 for the first time Thursday, extending a streak of almost daily all-time highs since the US presidential election. The cryptocurrency has rocketed more than 40% in just two weeks.
Now, bitcoin is at the doorstep of $100,000 and investors do not appear to be phased by gravity or any cautionary tales of the cryptocurrencies history of volatility, The Associated Press reported.
Cryptocurrencies and related investments like crypto exchange traded funds have rallied because the incoming Trump administration is expected to be more “crypto-friendly” than the outgoing Biden administration.
As of 8:30 a.m. ET, bitcoin traded at $97,466 after rising as high as $98,349 according to CoinDesk.
Yet cryptocurrency markets remain a wild place and what comes next is impossible to know. And while some are bullish, other experts are warning of investment risks.
Here’s what you need to know.
Back up. What is cryptocurrency again? Cryptocurrency has been around for a while now but have come under the spotlight in recent years.
In basic terms, cryptocurrency is digital money. This kind of currency is designed to work through an online network without a central authority — meaning it’s typically not backed by any government or banking institution — and transactions get recorded with technology called a blockchain.
Bitcoin is the largest and oldest cryptocurrency, although other assets like Ethereum, Tether and Dogecoin have gained popularity over the years. Some investors see cryptocurrency as a “digital alternative” to traditional money — but it can be very volatile, with its price reliant on larger market conditions.
Why are bitcoin and other crypto assets soaring? A lot of the recent action has to do with the outcome of the US election.
Trump has evolved from a crypto skeptic to a crypto champion and has pledged to make the US “the crypto capital of the planet” and create a “strategic reserve” of bitcoin. His campaign accepted donations in cryptocurrency and he courted fans at a bitcoin conference in July. He also launched World Liberty Financial, a new venture with family members to trade cryptocurrencies.
Crypto industry players welcomed Trump’s victory, in hopes that he would be able to push through legislative and regulatory changes that they’ve long lobbied for. Trump also had promised that, if elected, he would remove the chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission, Gary Gensler, who has been leading the US government’s crackdown on the crypto industry and repeatedly called for more oversight.
Digital assets like bitcoin had posted notable gains in the months ahead of the election, mostly due to the early success of a new way to invest in the asset: spot bitcoin ETFs, which were approved by US regulators in January.
Inflows into spot ETFs, “have been the dominant driver of Bitcoin returns from some time, and we expect this relationship to continue in the near-term,” Citi analysts David Glass and Alex Saunders wrote in a research note two weeks ago. They added that spot crypto ETFs saw some of their largest inflows on record in the days following the election.
In April, bitcoin also saw its fourth “halving” — a preprogrammed event that impacts production by cutting the reward for mining, or the creation of new bitcoin, in half. When that reward falls, so does the number of new bitcoins entering the market. And, if demand remains strong, some analysts say this “supply shock” can also help propel the price long term.
What are the risks? History shows you can lose money in crypto as quickly as you’ve made it. Long-term price behavior relies on larger market conditions. Trading continues at all hours, every day.
At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, bitcoin stood at just over $5,000. Its price climbed to nearly $69,000 by November 2021, in a time marked by high demand for technology assets. Bitcoin later crashed during an aggressive series of Federal Reserve rate hikes aimed at curbing inflation. The collapse of FTX in late 2022 significantly undermined confidence in crypto overall and bitcoin fell below $17,000.
Investors began returning in large numbers as inflation started to cool — and gains skyrocketed on the anticipation and then early success of spot ETFs. Experts still stress caution, especially for small-pocketed investors.
What about the climate impact? Assets like bitcoin are produced through a process called “mining,” which consumes a lot of energy. And operations relying on pollutive sources have drawn particular concern over the years.
Recent research published by the United Nations University and Earth’s Future journal found that the carbon footprint of 2020-2021 bitcoin mining across 76 nations was equivalent to the emissions from burning 84 billion pounds of coal or running 190 natural gas-fired power plants. Coal satisfied the bulk of bitcoin’s electricity demands (45%), followed by natural gas (21%) and hydropower (16%).