New taskforce to reinvigorate UN World Tourism Organisation and prepare sector for future

• Taskforce aims to ‘redesign tourism for the future’ by strengthening UN efforts
• Saudi Arabia’s Al Khateeb: “This is the best way to enable the UNWTO to be the true global champion of tourism.”
• Spain’s Maroto: “We need to strengthen the agenda and workings of the UNWTO.”

Madrid – The UN World Tourism Organization's General Assembly, meeting in Madrid, has adopted by consensus a joint Saudi Arabian - Spanish proposal to establish a new UN Task Force to reinvigorate UN support for global tourism, and to redesign tourism for the future, with a particular focus on the needs of developing countries.

The new Task Force, which the General Assembly recommended should be co-chaired by Saudi Arabia and Spain, will provide representation to UNWTO members in all regions of the world. Backers of the Task Force proposal hope that the group will be set up within just one month to provide the momentum that the Organization needs.

Saudi Arabia’s Tourism Minister, His Excellency Ahmed Al Khateeb was the driving force behind the creation of this new Task Force. HE Al Khateeb welcomed today’s United Nations vote: “Over the last few months I have met more than one hundred other tourism ministers. We are all in strong agreement that tourism is a vital part of our economies, and that unless the sector recovers, our economies will not recover to the pre-pandemic levels.

“Accelerating the recovery will require a level of international coordination and cooperation that has been absent for much of the past two years. The UNWTO has a critical part to play and this requires improvements to its working methods so that they become more effective and more transparent. The Organization will require stronger programs and initiatives that add real value to member states and that enable it to better serve as the true global champion of tourism. This new taskforce will spearhead these efforts and drive this agenda vigorously forward.”

Spanish Minister of Industry, Trade and Tourism, Reyes Maroto, partnered with Saudi Arabia to introduce the proposal. She said: “We need to strengthen the agenda and workings of the UNWTO, to provide the right foundations for the future of tourism, to ensure real, meaningful, and measurable benefits for Member States and for all those who depend on tourism for their livelihoods, as well as to facilitate closer working with the private sector.”

The General Assembly’s decision paves the way to establish a new Task Force of member states, within the UNWTO. The new group will represent all regions, and will listen to all UNWTO members, to ensure that it captures their current and future needs.

Supporters believe that the Task Force should be ready to report back to the Executive Council with specific recommendations and a work plan, within three months of starting work.

His Excellency Dr Najib Balala, Kenyan Minister of Tourism, welcomed the new taskforce. “Tourism is a critical part if economies especially in developing countries. The pandemic has demonstrated a serious gap in the ability of the UNWTO to support and facilitate international coordination and collaboration for the benefit of the sector globally. The agreement to establish a new task force is an important step forward. I look forward to working with this new group to accelerate the recovery and advance this important agenda, and I want to applaud Saudi Arabia and the visionary leadership of my friend Minister Al Khateeb for taking this initiative.”

His Excellency Edmund Bartlett, Jamaican Minister of Tourism added: “this marks a critical step forward towards a new and brighter future for the UNWTO. This organization has a crucial role to play, and it will only succeed with the full support and commitment of its member states, empowered through a more transparent and more effective working mechanism. Jamaica stands ready to provide its support to this program, and I pay tribute to the vision and ambition of Saudi Arabia and its leadership, without which today’s achievement would not have been possible.”

The UNWTO is the international multilateral body responsible for tourism. The Organization is headquartered in Madrid, Spain, where its General Assembly is taking place, between 1 December and 3 December. 

-Ends-

Ministry of Tourism of Saudi Arabia 

Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of tourism leads the Saudi Tourism ecosystem, with support from the Saudi Tourism Authority and the Tourism Development Fund.

The Ministry sets the Kingdom’s tourism sector strategy and is responsible for the development of policies and regulations, developing human capital, gathering statistics, and attracting investment.  It works in partnership with the Saudi Tourism Authority, which promotes Saudi Arabia as a global tourism destination, and the Tourism Development Fund, which executes the Ministry’s investment strategy by providing funding for the sector’s development.

Headed by His Excellency Ahmed Al Khateeb, the Ministry was founded in February 2020, following the opening of Saudi Arabia to international leisure tourists for the first time in its history in 2019. Saudi Arabia aims to welcome 100 million tourism visits by 2030, increasing the sector’s contribution to GDP from 3% to 10%.

© Press Release 2021