G20 Meetings: Five Initiatives to Address Obstacles Facing Youth Entrepreneurship

Journalists sit in the media center during the meeting of G20 finance ministers and central bank governors in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, February 22, 2020/File Photo
Journalists sit in the media center during the meeting of G20 finance ministers and central bank governors in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, February 22, 2020/File Photo
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G20 Meetings: Five Initiatives to Address Obstacles Facing Youth Entrepreneurship

Journalists sit in the media center during the meeting of G20 finance ministers and central bank governors in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, February 22, 2020/File Photo
Journalists sit in the media center during the meeting of G20 finance ministers and central bank governors in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, February 22, 2020/File Photo

The Entrepreneur Union Summit, which is held on the sidelines of the G20 meetings, currently chaired by Saudi Arabia, announced on Sunday the adoption of five initiatives to promote youth entrepreneurship around the world.

Those include addressing the obstacles faced by young entrepreneurs in obtaining capital, supporting training programs and entrepreneurship education, developing a sustainable future economy, in addition to resolving trade barriers and enhancing economic and social resilience by taking advantage of digitization.

“Despite the economic difficulties that we have witnessed during the Covid-19 pandemic, the year 2020 has highlighted the flexibility of entrepreneurs and emerging companies in their quest to develop new opportunities and find creative ways to display their excellence,” Prince Fahd bin Mansour bin Nasser, Chairman of the Young Entrepreneurs Union Summit of the Saudi G20, told Asharq Al-Awsat.

He continued: “SMEs and entrepreneurs are among the main business makers in the G20 countries. They employ more than two-thirds of the workforce in the private sector, and provide more than 80 percent of net job growth.”

The summit’s closing statement was based on the recommendations of the research carried out on the entrepreneurship system in the G20 countries and came in line with the priorities of the B20 business groups, especially with regards to development and employment within SMEs.

During the meetings, participants stated that at a time when the world begins to repair the economic damage caused by the outbreak of the coronavirus and to search for ways to pay record levels of government debts, the potential of entrepreneurs must be harnessed to stimulate a new generation that would work on sustainable and inclusive growth.



Travel Industry to Contribute Record $11 Trillion to Global GDP in 2024

Tourists check a souvenir stand while walking around the Grand-Place square, in central Brussels, Belgium, 31 August 2024. (EPA)
Tourists check a souvenir stand while walking around the Grand-Place square, in central Brussels, Belgium, 31 August 2024. (EPA)
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Travel Industry to Contribute Record $11 Trillion to Global GDP in 2024

Tourists check a souvenir stand while walking around the Grand-Place square, in central Brussels, Belgium, 31 August 2024. (EPA)
Tourists check a souvenir stand while walking around the Grand-Place square, in central Brussels, Belgium, 31 August 2024. (EPA)

A record $1 out of every $10 spent globally in 2024 will be on travel as people briskly book hotels, cruises and flights, according to an annual report by the World Travel and Tourism Council, a non-profit membership organization.

The travel and tourism industry's contribution to global gross domestic product is expected to reach new heights as consumers increasingly see travel as an essential part of their budgets.

The WTTC estimates the industry's contribution to global GDP in 2024 will increase 12.1% year-over-year to $11.1 trillion, making up 10% of global GDP. This represents about a 7.5% increase from the previous record set in 2019.

"Despite some concerns last year about us going into a global recession and high inflation, this year we are looking at travel and tourism being a real economic powerhouse globally," said Julia Simpson, CEO of the non-profit organization.

Travel spending in the US, Chinese and German economies is expected to contribute the most to GDP.

The sector is expected to support nearly 348 million jobs in 2024, or 13.6 million jobs more than in 2019, the previous record prior to the pandemic. The industry is still hiring to fill jobs in the rapidly expanding field.

In the United States, there are currently 1 million job openings across the leisure and hospitality industry, according to the US Travel Association. Total employment supported in the US was about 27 million jobs in 2023, according to the WTTC.