Boosting tourism in Oman and the region to strengthen their economies

Muscat, capital of the Sultanate of Oman, is hosting the 50th meeting of the World Tourism Organisation's Regional Office for the Middle East. The meeting was organised by the Omani Ministry of Heritage and Tourism, and discussed issues related to the promotion and development of the tourism sector in a region in which its countries have decided to invest in tourism to strengthen and diversify their economies, as is the case of the host country. 

During the meeting, the work programme of the Organisation for the period 2023-2024 and the priorities of the regional office were presented, where health tourism was highlighted, and the need to carry out joint investments to strengthen the common commitment to tourism in the region was insisted upon. 

The Minister of Heritage and Tourism of the Sultanate of Oman, Salem bin Mohammed Al Mahrouqi, explained that the meeting addressed the challenges facing the tourism sector in the region, challenges that require joint efforts and cooperation at the regional level, and require the countries of the Middle East to work to find sustainable solutions and develop strategies that meet common expectations consisting of betting on tourism as a driver of development and improve the position of the region on the world tourism map. 

The Minister of Heritage and Tourism assured that the Arab region is experiencing a remarkable development of tourism, a reality that must be taken advantage of to achieve an economic development that involves the rest of the sectors and from which opportunities and improvements in employment and sustainability must be taken advantage of. 

For his part, the Minister of Tourism of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Ahmed Al Khatib, emphasised the role that tourism plays in stimulating the growth of the world economy, because it provides jobs and guarantees the growth of countries in order to achieve the objectives of sustainable development. He has further pointed out that the Middle East region led the recovery after the coronavirus pandemic, as the number of tourists arriving in the region experienced a growth of more than 122 per cent compared to 2019 levels. 

For his part, the secretary general of the United Nations Tourism Organisation, Zurab Pololikashvili, confirmed the positive data experienced by the Middle East region in terms of increased tourism activity. Pololikashvili pointed out that the tourism sector has made great strides in the region in recent years as a result of advances in technology and in the fields of communication and education.

Makram Mustafa Al-Qaisi, Minister of Tourism and Antiquities of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, pointed out the importance of the Muscat meeting to discuss ways of joint cooperation between the countries of the region and the United Nations Tourism Organisation to advance the tourism sector and strengthen its role as a driver of the economies of the countries of the region and increase its contribution to the Gross Domestic Product and, consequently, generate more employment opportunities.