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ATO Seeks to Develop Tourism in Arab World

A view shows people sitting on chairlifts at a ski resort in Bcharre, Lebanon February 10, 2024. REUTERS/Emilie Madi
A view shows people sitting on chairlifts at a ski resort in Bcharre, Lebanon February 10, 2024. REUTERS/Emilie Madi
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ATO Seeks to Develop Tourism in Arab World

A view shows people sitting on chairlifts at a ski resort in Bcharre, Lebanon February 10, 2024. REUTERS/Emilie Madi
A view shows people sitting on chairlifts at a ski resort in Bcharre, Lebanon February 10, 2024. REUTERS/Emilie Madi

The Arab Tourism Organization (ATO) has signed a strategic partnership agreement with the International Strategic Management (ISM) company, headquartered in Detroit, Michigan.

The signing took place on Wednesday in the presence of the president of the ATO, Dr. Bandar bin Fahd Al Fahid, and the CEO of the company, Dr. Faris Alami, at the ATO main headquarters in Jeddah.

The agreement comes as an extension of the ATO’s efforts to develop and enhance the tourism industry in the Arab world and to strengthen competitiveness in the tourism and travel sector.

The partnership aims to achieve growth and innovation within the tourism sector in Arab countries.

ISM, leveraging its accumulated expertise and specialized experts in the field, will collaborate with the ATO to achieve its goals and strategies, aligning them with the Arab League's Sustainable Development Plan 2030.

The ATO emphasized the importance of this partnership as it represents a real opportunity to enhance the role of Arab countries in developing their tourist destinations to achieve sustainable development.

According to the organization, it is expected that the total contribution of the travel and tourism sector to worldwide gross domestic product (GDP) will reach 15%, whereas the total contribution of the travel and tourism sector to the gross domestic product worldwide before 2019 did not exceed 10%.

The ATO further projected that revenues from travel and tourism will increase at an annual growth rate of 3.4% until 2027, reaching over a trillion dollars in revenue.

It also expected that the global tourism sector's job market will reach 430 million jobs by 2030, representing an increase of over 30% compared to 2023.

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EU May Suspend Syria Sanctions on Energy and Transport

FILE PHOTO: A general view of the commercial harbor of Syria's coastal city of Tartous, Syria, December 14, 2024. REUTERS/Umit Bektas/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A general view of the commercial harbor of Syria's coastal city of Tartous, Syria, December 14, 2024. REUTERS/Umit Bektas/File Photo
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EU May Suspend Syria Sanctions on Energy and Transport

FILE PHOTO: A general view of the commercial harbor of Syria's coastal city of Tartous, Syria, December 14, 2024. REUTERS/Umit Bektas/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A general view of the commercial harbor of Syria's coastal city of Tartous, Syria, December 14, 2024. REUTERS/Umit Bektas/File Photo

The European Union may soon suspend sanctions on Syria related to energy and transport but has yet to agree on whether to ease restrictions on financial transactions, according to three diplomats and a document seen by Reuters.
EU foreign ministers will discuss the matter at a meeting in Brussels on Monday. The bloc’s foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas told Reuters on Wednesday she hopes a political agreement on easing the sanctions can be reached at the gathering.
Europe’s approach to Damascus began to shift after Bashar al-Assad was ousted as president in December by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which the United Nations designates as a terrorist group.
Officials see transport as key for helping Syria’s airports become fully operational, which in turn could facilitate the return of refugees. Energy and electricity are similarly seen as important for improving living conditions to help stabilize the country and encourage citizens to come back.
According to an EU document seen by Reuters, diplomats from the bloc's 27 members recommended taking swift action towards suspending the restrictions "in sectors necessary for economic stabilization and launch of economic reconstruction of Syria, such as those regarding energy and transport”.
The diplomats, who are part of a group that negotiates the EU’s foreign policy positions on issues related to the Middle East and North Africa, also recommended “assessing options for reopening banking and investment relations with Syria”.
“The easing of EU restrictive measures would be rolled out in a staged approach and in a reversible manner, regularly assessing if the conditions in Syria allow for further suspension,” the diplomats wrote, pointing to the need for respect for fundamental freedoms and an inclusive transition.
The wording of the document represents a compromise among EU capitals. Some governments want to move quickly to suspend sanctions, while others prefer a more careful and gradual approach to ensure Europe retains leverage.
If a political agreement is announced on Monday, European officials would proceed to work on the technical details of a suspension.
A number of sanctions should remain in place, according to the document, including measures related to the Al-Assad regime, illicit drug trade and arms trade.