Ras Al Khaimah is the capital of Gulf tourism for 2021

Dr. Ahmed Belhoul Al Falasi, Minister of State for Entrepreneurship and Small and Medium Enterprises, chaired the fifth meeting of Excellencies and Ministers responsible for tourism in the countries of the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf, in the presence of His Excellency Dr. Nayef Falah Mubarak Al-Hajraf, Secretary General of the Gulf Cooperation Council, which was held recently through virtual platforms, Within the framework of the UAE presidency of the current session of the Gulf Cooperation Council.

The meeting discussed ways to enhance Gulf integration in the tourism sector, and work on joint programs to meet the current challenges that the sector is witnessing in light of the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic on a global scale. It also discussed a number of projects that serve sustainable tourism development in the region.

During the meeting, the tourism ministers of the GCC countries approved that Ras Al Khaimah will be the capital of Gulf tourism for 2021, for an additional year.

The ministers also approved the formation of the General Tourism Committee, which consists of representatives from the tourism sectors in the GCC countries to enhance coordination and joint work and follow up the implementation of the decisions agreed upon between the tourism ministers, and the committee was tasked with developing mechanisms and proposals to accelerate the recovery of the tourism sector from the repercussions of the global pandemic, in addition to holding a series of Workshops to launch a guide for tourism in the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council.

Dr. Ahmed Belhoul Al Falasi praised Ras Al Khaimah as the capital of Gulf tourism for an additional year, noting that this choice confirms the leading position of the UAE as a distinguished tourist destination, and reflects the confidence that the country enjoys as a sustainable tourist destination.

He added, "There is no doubt that the Emirate of Ras Al Khaimah possesses all the ingredients to be a distinguished capital for Gulf tourism for the coming year, as it enjoys natural, historical and heritage diversity, world-class hotel facilities and integrated tourism services, in addition to its excellence in adventure tourism, as it contains the highest mountain peak in the country." It is Jebel Jais, and it has the longest zip path in the world, which makes the tourists' experience in the emirate unique and rich. "

In a speech delivered by Al Falasi during the session, he stressed that the tourism sector is an important engine for the development process in the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council, and according to the estimates of the World Travel and Tourism Council for the year 2019, tourism contributed to 9.7% of the Gulf Arab economies and provided about 2.9 million jobs, stressing the importance of strengthening Cooperation to support the Gulf tourism sector in light of the repercussions of the Covid-19 pandemic and the development of a deliberate road map to accelerate the sector's recovery, stressing the increasing importance of joint Gulf action in supporting and developing the sector according to a clear and sustainable vision.

Al Falasi explained the importance of focusing during the current stage on 3 main axes: first, the recovery of intra-Gulf tourism, as it is an important stage of the complete restoration of tourism activity in the region, and secondly, work to restore the confidence of visitors by standardizing procedures and standards in the sector, which contributes to easing travel restrictions While following internationally approved health and safety procedures to ensure a safe environment for visitors and workers in the sector, and in the third axis, His Excellency stressed the importance of strengthening partnership with the private tourism sector in the GCC countries and supporting it continuously.

His Excellency reviewed the most important steps taken by the UAE to support the national tourism sector and accelerate its recovery, noting that since the outbreak of the pandemic, it has been one of the country's priorities to protect citizens, residents and visitors, in parallel with supporting the private tourism sector through initiatives and incentive packages that contribute to easing burdens and facilitating financing, especially for companies. Small, medium and micro-enterprises, in addition to initiatives to support workers in the tourism sector, in parallel with the ongoing work to launch a new national strategy for tourism development.

He added that the UAE government recently approved the launch of an integrated package of 33 specific initiatives to support the economic sectors and activate activities and businesses, and the tourism sector had a large share of the initiatives of this package, through which the focus will be on supporting tourism facilities, encouraging domestic tourism and establishing safe corridors for travel with partner countries. And developing national tourism and its services by increasing the employment of innovation, technology and digital applications.

On the other hand, the outcomes of the meeting included a number of themes and decisions, the most prominent of which are: Approval of choosing Ras Al Khaimah as the capital of Gulf tourism for the year 2021 for an additional year;

And follow-up of the programs of strategic tourism partnerships between the countries of the Cooperation Council and relevant international organizations to promote tourism growth in the region;

And to continue coordination to develop a comprehensive vision for joint tourism work in the GCC countries, as it was decided to form a Gulf Strategy for Tourism team headed by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

In addition, the meeting discussed the development of joint work between the tourism and cultural sectors, cooperation in support of industries and handicrafts, as it was decided to include this path in the comprehensive Gulf vision, and work to launch a guide for Gulf tourism. Holding a series of workshops between the concerned authorities to coordinate the preparation of the guide, and the creation of A platform on intra-GCC tourism that includes statistical information, events, sites and tourism activities, in order to encourage tourism movement among the GCC countries.

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