Saudi Arabia’s tourism ambitions were in the global spotlight this week as the 22nd World Travel and Tourism Council Global Summit took place in the Saudi capital from November 28th – December 1st.
WTTC’s annual Global Summit is considered the most influential Travel and Tourism-sector event. This year, industry leaders gathered with key government representatives “to continue aligning efforts to support the sector’s recovery and move beyond to a safer, more resilient, inclusive, and sustainable future,” organizers said.
The event’s opening speech was given by Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Tourism H.E. Ahmed Al-Khateeb, who highlighted how tourism is set to create 126 million jobs in the next decade.
“Here in Riyadh, we have gathered more tourism ministers and CEOs than ever before. Let us seize this opportunity and use it wisely. Partnership across the public and private sector must come first to push forward action that will benefit all,” Al-Khateeb said.
Speaking during the following panel, HH Princess Haifa Al Saud, Saudi Arabia’s Vice Minister of Tourism, said the Kingdom is working with “one vision” and is hoping to attract 100 million domestic and international travelers annually and contribute 10% of GDP in the next decade.
One focus of the WTTC Riyadh 2022 was the industry’s interest in reducing its carbon footprint in the years and decades to come. The WTTC released new data and research noting that greenhouse gas emissions from the tourism sector were lower than previously thought in the run up to the COVID-19 pandemic. The research shows that in 2019 the sector’s greenhouse gas emissions totaled 8.1 percent globally — below an earlier estimate of 11 percent, according to a report in Arab News.
Saudi Minister of Tourism Ahmed Al-Khateeb welcomed the research, and said: “We are proud to be a partner to the WTTC in this important research that will monitor impact for the future. Saudi Arabia recognizes that travelers and investors want policies that promote sustainability in the industry and we have embarked on a journey that will make the Kingdom a pioneer in sustainable tourism.”
“Under the Saudi Green Initiative, we launched more than 60 initiatives in the past year to do just that. The first wave of initiatives represent more than $186 billion of investment in the green economy.”
The previous two summits were held in the Philippines (2022) and Cancun (2021), and the next will be held in Rwanda.
