Monday 23 December 2024
 
»
 
»
Story

WEF San Francisco: Saudi says sustainability key to tourism growth

RIYADH, October 24, 2024

Sustainable development needs to be the cornerstone of the Travel and Tourism sector, now and into the future, said a top Saudi minister at the annual World Economic Forum (WEF) Urban Transformation Summit that was recently held in San Francisco, California.

Ahmed Al-Khateeb, Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Tourism, who is one of the chairs of the summit that took place from October 21-23, said in his keynote remarks, during the Opening Plenary session, that while tourism growth brings challenges like overcrowding, inadequate infrastructure, and environmental pressures.

And keeping sustainability at the heart of the approach to tackling those challenges will set up the sector for the future, he said.

“We are seeing exponential growth in the tourism sector, and in parallel, we are seeing a rising demand for sustainable, enriching experiences.

“This provides us with the chance to reshape tourism while safeguarding the planet and driving positive change that benefits communities as well as economies, for future generations.”

Al-Khateeb, who also is also the chairman of Saudi Arabia’s Quality of Life Program, said that building a strong global community of industry leaders and experts who can convene at forums such as the WEF Urban Transformation Summit, is essential for creating a positive and lasting future for tourism and developing collaborative solutions to seize on those growth opportunities responsibly.

“Tourism and sustainability are key pillars of Saudi Arabia’s Future Saudi Cities Programme and remain a focus for our leaders,” he said.

“But we need city leaders, urban planners, and tourism experts from around the world to share best practices at forums like these, to think about the tourism sector and work out how they can support it by creating smart, sustainable, and resilient cities.

“Stronger public-private partnerships are also essential to transforming tourism into a driver of sustainable development, and we as governments need to incentivize and encourage private partners who prioritize sustainability.”

The minister also took part in a Strategy Session “Shaping the Future of Tourism” and an executive roundtable discussion on the Future of Travel and Tourism.

The 4th edition of the WEF Annual Urban Transformation brought together 250 participants over the two and a half days with discussions focused on sustainable redevelopment, travel and tourism, mobility transformation, innovation ecosystems, nature-positive infrastructure, technology governance, and more. – TradeArabia News Service

 




Tags: Sustainable development | San Francisco |

More Travel, Tourism & Hospitality Stories


Markets

calendarCalendar of Events

Partners

4580

Ads

Buy high quality China wholesale Health & Beauty , Electronics, Sports & Outdoors , Computers, Video Games, Toys & Hobbies Cell Phones, Automobiles and other wholesale products directly from reliable Chinese wholesalers or Factories on DHgate.com