ABU DHABI, 20th May, 2017 (WAM) --- The UAE Ministry of Economy, on Friday, concluded a 5-day Gulf-wide roadshow promoting the UAE as a regional sustainable tourist destination, to increase the number of Gulf tourists from the current 17 percent of people visiting the country annually.

The roadshow was held in the capitals of the other five members of the Cooperation Council for Arab States of the Gulf, GCC - Riyadh, Doha, Kuwait, Manama and Muscat.

Tourists from other GCC countries account for more than 17 percent of the total annual number of tourists in the UAE, said Mohammed Khamees Al Muhairi, Under-Secretary of the Ministry of Economy and Advisor to the Minister for Tourism Affairs, who led the delegation that included representatives of national tourism departments and agencies from seven emirates, airlines, hotels, travel agencies and holiday companies.

Tourism across the GCC is expected to expand over the coming years, due to a common vision for the sector across the region, he added.

Wider co-ordination among national stakeholders will promote the whole UAE as one tourist destination, Al Muhairi further added, while noting that tourism is an experience that revolves around inter-cultural interaction.

Copyright Emirates News Agency (WAM) 2017.