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'Riyadh Declaration on Future of Tourism' Adopted at Conclusion of UN Tourism Assembly 

The 26th session of the United Nations Tourism General Assembly concluded on Tuesday. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
The 26th session of the United Nations Tourism General Assembly concluded on Tuesday. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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'Riyadh Declaration on Future of Tourism' Adopted at Conclusion of UN Tourism Assembly 

The 26th session of the United Nations Tourism General Assembly concluded on Tuesday. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
The 26th session of the United Nations Tourism General Assembly concluded on Tuesday. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

The 26th session of the United Nations Tourism General Assembly, hosted by Saudi Arabia, concluded on Tuesday with the adoption of the “Riyadh Declaration on the Future of Tourism,” which sets the foundation for international cooperation in the global tourism sector over the next 50 years.

The declaration underscores the Kingdom’s leading role as a key contributor to shaping the future of tourism and highlights Riyadh's position as a hub for major global tourism decisions. The Riyadh Declaration will serve as a pivotal framework for the tourism sector in driving Sustainable Development Goals for 2030, with a focus on sustainability, digital innovation, integration of artificial intelligence technologies, and inclusive economic growth.

Serving as a roadmap for the global tourism industry in the years ahead, the declaration focuses on boosting international cooperation, empowering local communities, and strengthening the sector's resilience to challenges.

It outlines a unified vision to promote environmental responsibility in tourism and reinforces its role as a key driver of economic growth and cultural understanding.

“As we conclude this session in Riyadh, we move from declaration to implementation,” said Saudi Minister of Tourism Ahmed Al-Khateeb. “The agreements we have signed and the platforms we have launched will drive investments, develop human capital, advance digital transformation for small and medium enterprises, and protect cultural and environmental treasures.”

“The Kingdom will continue to bring international partners together, leveraging Riyadh's hosting of the UN Tourism Regional Office for the Middle East, and will seek to achieve tangible results to ensure tourism remains a bridge between nations and a catalyst for shared prosperity,” the minister said.

“With the adoption of the Riyadh Declaration on the Future of Tourism, the international community reaffirms its commitment to fully harnessing the economic and social potential of tourism in pursuit of the Sustainable Development Goals. This adoption reflects global confidence in the Kingdom’s role as a facilitator of international dialogue and a center for collaboration among all stakeholders in the tourism sector,” he added.

Al-Khateeb told Asharq Al-Awsat that Saudi Arabia has set a target of attracting 150 million tourists by 2030, raising the figure from an initial goal of 100 million that it has already achieved.

He predicted that the Kingdom will soon be among the world’s top ten travel destinations.

At the event, member state representatives approved the appointment of Shaikha Nasser Al Nowais as the new secretary-general of the UN Tourism Organization — the first woman and the first Gulf national to hold the position. Her term will begin on January 1, 2026.

She told Asharq Al-Awsat that she will prioritize sustainable and responsible growth, digital transformation, smart tourism, local empowerment, developing infrastructure, bolstering air connectivity, and transparency, among other issues.

The conclusion of the assembly marked the official launch of the “TOURISE Forum,” a global initiative introduced by the Kingdom to deepen cooperation between the public and private sectors and to advance innovation in the global tourism industry.

The forum will serve as a platform for public and private sector leaders to collaborate on promoting digital transformation, sustainability, impactful investments, and workforce development to prepare the sector for future challenges and opportunities.

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Russia’s LNG Exports up 8.6% in January to April, Data Shows

A general view of the liquefied natural gas plant operated by Sakhalin Energy at Prigorodnoye on the Pacific island of Sakhalin, Russia July 15, 2021. (Reuters)
A general view of the liquefied natural gas plant operated by Sakhalin Energy at Prigorodnoye on the Pacific island of Sakhalin, Russia July 15, 2021. (Reuters)
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Russia’s LNG Exports up 8.6% in January to April, Data Shows

A general view of the liquefied natural gas plant operated by Sakhalin Energy at Prigorodnoye on the Pacific island of Sakhalin, Russia July 15, 2021. (Reuters)
A general view of the liquefied natural gas plant operated by Sakhalin Energy at Prigorodnoye on the Pacific island of Sakhalin, Russia July 15, 2021. (Reuters)

Russia's ‌exports of liquefied natural gas rose 8.6% in January to April to 11.4 million metric tons from the same period last year due to supplies from the Arctic LNG 2 project, which reached 1 million tons in the first four months of the year, preliminary LSEG data ‌showed on Tuesday.

US ‌sanctions against Moscow over ‌the ⁠Ukraine conflict have restrained ⁠Russian LNG exports, particularly from the Arctic LNG 2 plant, where operations have been hindered owing to difficulty securing buyers.

In April alone, total Russian exports of LNG rose ⁠13.2% from a year ago to ‌2.92 million ‌tons.

Data also showed that Russian LNG ‌exports to Europe in January to April ‌jumped 20.8% year-on-year to 6.4 million tons. In April, they rose to around 1.6 million tons from 1.2 million tons ‌a year earlier.

In January, EU countries gave their final ⁠approval ⁠to ban Russian gas imports by late-2027.

Total exports from Novatek's Yamal LNG plant in the January to April period fell by 1.5% year-on-year to 6.5 million tons.

Asia-oriented Sakhalin-2, controlled by Gazprom, exported 3.7 million tons in the first four months of the year, up from 3.6 million tons during the same period last year.

Business

G7 Trade Ministers Set to Meet but Not Discuss Latest US Tariff Threat

Discussion of the repercussions of the Middle East war is expected to dominate an informal session on Tuesday. Ludovic MARIN / AFP/File
Discussion of the repercussions of the Middle East war is expected to dominate an informal session on Tuesday. Ludovic MARIN / AFP/File
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G7 Trade Ministers Set to Meet but Not Discuss Latest US Tariff Threat

Discussion of the repercussions of the Middle East war is expected to dominate an informal session on Tuesday. Ludovic MARIN / AFP/File
Discussion of the repercussions of the Middle East war is expected to dominate an informal session on Tuesday. Ludovic MARIN / AFP/File

G7 trade ministers are set to meet in Paris on Tuesday and Wednesday to discuss issues such as critical minerals and small packages but will not directly address the latest US threat to impose additional tariffs on European vehicles.

The second meeting of trade ministers under the French G7 presidency is taking place as the global economy has been upended by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world's oil normally flows, said AFP.

Discussion of the repercussions of the Middle East war is expected to dominate an informal session on Tuesday, according to the office of France's junior trade minister Nicolas Forissier.

Meanwhile President Donald Trump's threat last Friday that he will hike US tariffs on cars and trucks from the European Union will likely be addressed separately.

US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer is expected to meet with EU Trade Commission Maros Sefcovic in the French capital.

They also have a meeting scheduled with Forissier and French Economy Minister Roland Lescure.

The US and EU struck a deal last summer to cap US tariffs on EU autos and parts at 15 percent, which is lower than the 25-percent duty that Trump imposed on many other trading partners.

In late March, EU lawmakers gave their green light to the bloc's tariff deal with Trump, but with conditions. It must still be approved by member countries.

"Our position for the moment is not to overreact," said Forissier's office.

"We will discuss it among Europeans when the time comes, but in any case not within the framework of the G7," it added.

"This agreement is useful and we must continue to implement it."

- Four priorities -

On Wednesday the trade ministers of the G7 nations (Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States) are expected to discuss the four priorities set by the group's French presidency.

The first is find a collective and effective response to industrial overcapacity that undermines free trade.

Even if the discussion doesn't formally target China, the country's subsidizing of certain sectors has created trade tensions for years.

A second priority is economic security, in particular securing and diversifying supplies of critical minerals that are indispensable in producing strategic products such as computer chips, electric vehicle batteries and super magnets.

France favors creating a system of groups of producing, processing and consuming nations that share a commitment to implementing good practices.

- Small parcels, big problem -

The ministers will also touch on the failure in March of the latest round of World Trade Organization negotiations, with the body's role as a trade referee having been paralyzed by the United States for years.

"The goal is for this organization to be better suited to current challenges," Forissier's office said.

The ministers will also discuss cross-border sales via e-commerce sites which have generated huge volumes of small parcels that escaped customs duties and posed unfair competition to local retailers.

The US last year suspended the tariff exemption on small parcels valued at less than $800 and the EU will this summer put in place a flat-rate customs duty on packages valued at under 150 euros.

The summit of G7 heads of state and government is scheduled for June 15 to 17 in the eastern town Evian along the shore of Lake Geneva.

Business

Egypt Aims for Self-Sufficiency in Wheat for Subsidized Bread in 2028, Minister Says

People are seen out at night in downtown Cairo on April 28, 2026. (AFP)
People are seen out at night in downtown Cairo on April 28, 2026. (AFP)
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Egypt Aims for Self-Sufficiency in Wheat for Subsidized Bread in 2028, Minister Says

People are seen out at night in downtown Cairo on April 28, 2026. (AFP)
People are seen out at night in downtown Cairo on April 28, 2026. (AFP)

Egypt, often the world's biggest wheat importer, aims to achieve self-sufficiency in wheat for its heavily subsidized bread in 2028, Agriculture Minister Alaa Farouk told Reuters on Tuesday.

Egypt needs 8.6 ‌million metric ‌tons of wheat for ‌its subsidized ⁠bread scheme, according ⁠to the draft budget for the full year of 2026/27, but the minister declined to give an estimate for how much wheat the government needs to achieve its self-sufficiency target.

The date Farouk gave is ⁠one year later than originally intended, ‌as the country ‌had hoped it would achieve the target by ‌2027, the head of Future of ‌Egypt Agency for Sustainable Development, the government's exclusive grain importer, had said during a conference in May 2025.

The Egyptian government offers competitive prices ‌to local farmers to cultivate wheat.

This season, which began mid-April, the government ⁠intends to ⁠buy 5 million tons of local wheat, Farouk said.

Procurement has so far exceeded that of last year but is lagging behind the 2024 harvest.

As of Tuesday, the government had bought 1.39 million tons, up by 17% from 1.19 million tons in the same period last year, but down by 13% from 1.6 million tons in 2024, according to official data seen by Reuters.