On World Tourism Day 2023, leaders from all regions of the world united around a shared determination to invest in the growth and transformation of the sector. Organized around the theme “Tourism and Green Investment”, the Global Monitoring Day celebrations were the largest and most impactful on record.
Riyadh welcomes the world
Hosted by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the official celebrations in Riyadh brought together more than 50 tourism ministers alongside hundreds of high-level delegates from the public and private sectors. They were joined by UNWTO Member States and other tourism stakeholders from around the world celebrating in their own countries. Welcoming them all, UNWTO Secretary General Zurab Pololikashvili and Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Tourism Ahmed Al-Khateeb highlighted the need for the entire sector to scale up investments that benefit people, the planet and prosperity.
Opening the celebrations, His Excellency Minister Ahmed Al-Khateeb reaffirmed the Kingdom’s commitment to the development of tourism and its strong support for the mission of UNWTO. He said: “It is a privilege and honor to host World Tourism Day in Riyadh. Let’s celebrate our successes in coming back strong from the pandemic. But let us also travel with confidence into the future. A future where big countries and small countries can work. together to achieve incredible things. And let us all move forward in harmony towards a new horizon for global tourism.
UNWTO Secretary-General Pololikashvili said: “Tourism must lead the way in accelerating our transition towards greater resilience and sustainability. For this we need more investment, and the right kind of investment. This is the central message of this year’s World Tourism. Day, a message that is amplified by the official hosts of the celebrations, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and echoed around the world by our members.
Tourism investments in the spotlight
Exploring the meaning of tourism and green investment, the official World Tourism Day celebrations featured a series of expert panels, each focusing on a key priority for the sector at the moment. These include: Investing in people, through education and employment; Investing in destinations, including new destinations and products to reduce overcrowding and diversify benefits; investing in innovation and entrepreneurship, and investing in green transformation.
The expert-led discussions, attended by Tourism Ministers as well as business and financial leaders, were complemented by strong actions as UNWTO announced several key initiatives:
UNWTO Secretary General Pololikashvili and Saudi Minister of Tourism Al Khateeb jointly announced plans to establish a new tourism and hospitality school in Riyadh. The school will offer eight levels of educational programs, ranging from certificates to bachelor’s and master’s courses, with a clear focus on closing current skills gaps in tourism.
UNWTO has announced the winners of its first Women in Tech Start-Up competition. The winning women-led businesses were selected for the relevance of their work in tourism for development and for their development potential. All will benefit from the support and mentoring of the UNWTO Innovation Network.
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