TOURISM RECOVERY SUMMIT 2021

Tourism Recovery Summit 2021

The Opening Of The UNWTO Regional Office For The Middle East Tourism

Source: Ministry Of Tourism for the Kingdom Of Saudi Arabia
Location: Riyadh
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His Excellency Ahmed Al Khateeb, Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Tourism, this week announced that Saudi Arabia has become the first country to pledge financial support to the Tourism Community Initiative by advancing USD 100 million as part of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Saudi Ministry of Tourism, the World Bank and the UNWTO to establish a global Multi-Donor Trust Fund. The new fund will support the growth of tourism as a key driver of economic development and will be the first global World Bank fund devoted exclusively to the tourism sector.

The signing of the MoU took place during the official opening in Riyadh of the first UNWTO regional office outside of the Madrid HQ. The new office will serve as a hub for the UNWTO to coordinate policy and initiatives across thirteen countries in the Middle East, acting as a pivotal forum for engagement to drive tourism initiatives in the region and build long-term growth for the sector. The office will lead the UNWTO’s work across the region, promoting tourism products, sustainable development and the collection of tourism data and analysis.

The ‘Best Tourism Villages by UNWTO’ initiative was also announced, a programme by the UNWTO to identify and award villages taking innovative and transformative approaches to the development of tourism in rural areas around the world.

The event was attended by regional tourism ministers and industry leaders, including: 

• His Excellency Dr. Khaled El-Enany, Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, Egypt; 
• His Excellency Mmamoloko Kubayi-Ngubane, Minister of Tourism, South Africa; 
• Dr. Abdullah Mausoom, Minister of Tourism, Maldives; 
• Minister Shri Prahlad Singh Patel, Minister of State for Culture and Tourism, India;
• YB Dato’ Sri Hajah Nancy Shukri, Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture, Malaysia;
• Jerry Inzerillo, CEO, Diriyah Gate Development Authority,Saudi Arabia;
• John Pagano, CEO, AMAALA and The Red Sea Development Company, Saudi Arabia;
• Nadhmi Al-Nasr, CEO, NEOM, Saudi Arabia;
• Zurab Pololikashvili, Secretary-General, World Tourism Organization, UNWTO;
• Sébastien Bazin, Group CEO and Chairman of the Board, Accor, France;
• Pierfrancesco Vago, Global Chairman, Cruise Lines International, United States;
• Sir Martin Sorrell, Founder and Executive Chairman, S4 Capital and Founder, WPP;
• Andreas Raschmeier, Chairman of the Management Board and CEO, Veridos;
• Gerald Lawless, WTTC Ambassador and Former CEO, Jumeirah Group.

SHOT LIST

B-roll:

00:00 Tourism Recovery Summit footage – guest arrival, meet and greet

00:18 Footage of His Excellency Ahmed Al Khateeb, Minister of Tourism, Saudi Arabia, holding meetings

00:20 Blank

00:24 Tourism Recovery Summit footage – speech by His Excellency Ahmed Al Khateeb, Minister of Tourism, Saudi Arabia

00:31 His Excellency Ahmed Al Khateeb, Minister of Tourism, Saudi Arabia, announces Saudi Arabia’s pledge of USD 100 million to new World Bank fund for inclusive tourism

00:45 Tourism Recovery Summit footage – audience, panel, general area

00:16 Blank

01:018 UNWTO regional office opening ceremony – general ambiance shots, featuring Richard Attias, Founder and CEO of Richard Attias & Associates; Princess Haifa, Deputy Minister of Tourism at Saudi Ministry of Tourism; Zurab Pololikashvili, UNWTO Secretary-General; His Excellency Ahmed Al Khateeb, Minister of Tourism, Saudi Arabia, etc.

Soundbites:

02:43 His Excellency Ahmed Al Khateeb, Minister of Tourism, Saudi Arabia

02:51 Sir Martin Sorrell, Founder and Executive Chairman, S4 Capital and Founder, WPP

03:45 Nadhmi Al-Nasr, CEO, NEOM

04:30 Zurab Pololikashvili, Secretary-General, World Tourism Organization

05:00 Andreas Raschmeier, Chairman of the Management Board and CEO, Veridos

06:12 Gerald Lawless, WTTC Ambassador and Former CEO, Jumeirah Group

06:48 His Excellency Ahmed Al Khateeb, Minister of Tourism, Saudi Arabia

SCRIPT

1. His Excellency Ahmed Al Khateeb, Minister of Tourism, Saudi Arabia

“We are, for the first time, thinking positively and thinking beyond the crisis.”

1. Sir Martin Sorrell, Founder and Executive Chairman, S4 Capital and Founder, WPP

I think the fact that the industry is an analogue industry and we’ve gone through a pandemic, means that we really have to change our thinking. The biggest problem that we have is that we have an analogue albatross around our neck from history. What the pandemic has done is accelerated all those digital trends. They’ve accelerated a trend in consumer behavior, they’ve accelerated changes in the media. They’ve made enterprises transform digitally at a far more rapid rate. And as to what might happen, I think Saudi Arabia is a really interesting case study. Obviously there have been tremendous objectives laid down. In order to achieve that, Saudi Arabia probably could be the disruptor in the travel industry.

1. Nadhmi Al-Nasr, CEO, NEOM

“The world needs to move on, because we are all tired of being captured by coronavirus and we have to take the initiative to be prepared. However, we also, as a world, need to be sure that we will be prepared to get out of it. I enjoyed the discussions, the opening session and all the different speeches; they were informative. The feeling I get from the discussion is that all the representatives came from their own countries with a mission in their mind: how can they come out from this Summit with a worldwide decision on the next step?”

1. Zurab Pololikashvili, Secretary-General, World Tourism Organization

“I’m very happy to attend this very important meeting in Riyadh, the Tourism Recovery Summit, which is happening for the first time as a presential, hybrid event. It’s giving all of us hope that tourism is coming back. We have more than 100 delegates from 20 different countries worldwide. We have here ministers coming from Americas, from Africa, from Asia, from Europe, to discuss how we can recover tourism, not only in the Middle East region but also in the world.”

1. Andreas Raschmeier, Chairman of the Management Board and CEO, Veridos

“For me what is important going forward is basically establishing the trust, and this comes for me in three topics: the first thing is that we need to address the customers’ need for safety, for security. On the other hand, we need to combine this with convenience and the convenience aspect should never compromise the security aspect. Because we have learned in this pandemic that this is of key importance. And the third aspect is collaboration amongst the world leaders, because we need to make sure that the rules are not just valid for one country or maybe one region, but this is becoming again true for the world. We have seen this with the international standards for what concerns traveling and this must be also, this thing here, that we are developing together the international rules and regulations which gives back the trust and confidence to the individual traveller which at the end of the day will make flourish this business one more time.”

1. Gerald Lawless, WTTC Ambassador and Former CEO, Jumeirah Group

“I would like to congratulate the Ministry of Tourism and His Excellency Ahmed Al Khateeb for having had the initiative to bring this Tourism Recovery Summit together. It truly is impressive to see the tourism ministers from all over the world, as far away as Jamaica, Greece and of course from around the Arab world. This really is a great gathering, a great initiative and shows how serious the kingdom of Saudi Arabia is about developing its incredible tourism following.”

1. His Excellency Ahmed Al Khateeb, Minister of Tourism, Saudi Arabia

“In addition to this, we have to work together. This is a global problem and the solution has to come globally, therefore we have to coordinate closely – country to country and region to region, and also the government and the private sector.”

ENDS

Saudi Arabia pledges USD 100 million to proposed World Bank fund to drive Tourism Community Initiative

• Saudi Arabia becomes first country to pledge financial support to the Tourism Community Initiative,welcomed in the Leaders' Declaration and the Diriyah Communiqué for the Tourism Working Group, as an outcome of the G20 in 2020
• Landmark collaboration among World Bank, Saudi Ministry of Tourism and UNWTO, aiming to establish a global Multi-Donor Trust Fund exclusively devoted to tourism.

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, 27 May 2021: Saudi Arabia has become the first country to pledge financial support to the Tourism Community Initiative, welcomed in the 2020 G20 Riyadh Leaders' Declaration and the Diriyah Communiqué for the Tourism Working Group, and aligned with the AlUla Framework. 

The Saudi Ministry of Tourism, the World Bank, and the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) outlining their commitment to collaborate on the activation of the Tourism Community Initiative. This collaboration is aimed at building an inclusive and resilient tourism ecosystem that leads to job creation, the development of the private sector, and economic growth through a range of demand-driven investments in line with country needs, development strategies, and global sustainable development objectives. The signing of the MoU took place in Riyadh during the official opening of the first UNWTO regional office outside of the Madrid HQ.

The collaboration aims to include a global Multi-Donor Trust Fund (MDTF) to be established by the World Bank, proposed to support the growth of tourism as a key driver of economic development. It would be the first global World Bank fund devoted exclusively to the tourism sector. The fund is intended to benefit developing countries around the world by building an inclusive, resilient tourism ecosystem and support people who depend on the sector for their livelihoods. The fund aims to raise a total of USD 500 million in its 5-year first phase. Saudi Arabia has committed the first USD 100 million and joined the World Bank in inviting other countries to contribute to the global fund.

His Excellency Ahmed Al Khateeb, Saudi Minister for Tourism, said: “Tourism is a significant force for good, contributing more than 10 percent of global GDP and supporting one in every ten jobs worldwide. Yet, many countries that have not been able to benefit from tourism to build their economies, communities and livelihoods,”

“At last year’s G20 meeting we pressed for a global commitment to support communities with high tourism potential in taking advantage of the opportunities that sustainable and inclusive tourism can offer. That commitment was enshrined in UNWTO’s AlUla Framework for Inclusive Community Development Through Tourism. The collaboration and the envisioned global World Bank fund as mentioned in the signed MoU are aligned with that Framework,” he added.

“This initiative has support at the highest levels of all three organization and we are committed to working together towards the advancement of the tourism sector globally” said Issam Abousleiman, Regional Director for the Gulf Cooperation Council Countries at the World Bank. “Cross-border, multi-lateral collaboration is essential to rebuilding and enhancing the global tourism sector, especially after the impact that the pandemic has had in terms of travel restrictions and impact on economies and livelihoods. Once established later this year, the proposed global fund will provide valuable support to poor communities and small businesses to be able to benefit of the socio-economic benefits that tourism brings, while keeping in focus the need for safe, sustainable and above all enjoyable travel.”

“This collaboration is a landmark initiative that brings together UNWTO’s tourism expertise, the World Bank’s developmental and financial capabilities and Saudi Arabia’s commitment to support the growth of the global tourism sector,” said Zurab Pololikashvili, UNWTO Secretary-General. “This level of cooperation across governments and multi-lateral institutions is what we need to restart and rebuild tourism. 

It also reflects UNWTO’s commitment to facilitate the creation of a finance framework and architecture that will build resilience and drive sustainable and inclusive development for both economies and societies, fully in line with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.”

The Tourism Community Initiative was conceived at last year’s G20 meeting, which was chaired by Saudi Arabia and had tourism at the top of the agenda. The AlUla Framework for Inclusive Community Development Through Tourism was developed by UNWTO and the G20 Tourism Working Group and called for collaboration to “build back better” towards a more sustainable, inclusive, and resilient model of tourism.

“Tourism has vast potential and can be instrumental in addressing many of the challenges faced by host communities, especially when those communities are small and remote,” said, His Excellency Ahmed Al Khateeb. “Our collaboration with the World Bank and UNWTO and the envisioned global fund mark the first steps on a robust roadmap for recovery that will provide opportunities for empowerment, education and entrepreneurship to people from all walks of life and ensure that tourism remains a sector of hope.”

ENDS

Saudi Arabia’s Tourism Recovery Summit looks beyond recovery as tourism sector enters a new era 

·Government and industry leaders discussed innovative solutions to restart tourism guided by the principles of sustainability, resilience and collaboration

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, 27 May 2021: Saudi Arabia hosted global travel industry leaders across public and private sectors at the Tourism Recovery Summit in Riyadh yesterday. The summit convened to discuss common solutions and tangible actions as the sector enters a new era.

The Tourism Recovery Summit gathered more than 60 speakers at the Ritz Carlton in Riyadh and attracted a global virtual audience of thousands. The speaker line-up included 16 tourism ministers from around the globe as well as private sector leaders from the aviation, hospitality and cruise sectors as well as industry bodies. Through panel discussions and bilateral meetings, participants exchanged experiences, ideas and opportunities to ensure the future of tourism is more sustainable, resilient and inclusive.

Participants in the Summit included:

• The Hon. Edmund Bartlett CD, MP, Minister of Tourism of Jamaica;
• H.E. Harry Theoharis, Minister of Tourism of Greece;
• Sir Martin Sorrell, Founder and Executive Chairman of S4 Capital and Founder, WPP;
• Dr. Jill Tiefenthaler, CEO, National Geographic Society;
• Geoffrey Kent, Founder, Co-Chairman and CEO, Abercrombie and Kent;
• Willie Walsh, Director General, International Air Transport Association (IATA);
• Sébastien Bazin. Group CEO and Chairman of the Board, Accor;
• Ernesto Ottone Ramírez, Assistant Director-General for Culture, UNESCO;
• Amr AlMadani, CEO, Royal Commission for AlUla;
• Nadhmi Al-Nasr, CEO, NEOM;
• John Pagano, CEO, Red Sea Development Project & Amaala; and
• Jerry Inzerillo, CEO, Diriyah Gate Development Authority.

In his opening address to the Summit, His Excellency Ahmed Al Khateeb, Minister of Tourism for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, called for greater collaboration between the private and public sectors as tourism enters a new era. He said recovery would be based on three main principles: sustainability, inclusivity and collaboration.

In his comments to attendees, United Nations World Tourism Organization’s (UNWTO) Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili announced the launch of the organization’s Best Tourism Villages initiative, which will identify villages taking innovative and transformative approaches to tourism in rural areas. He also inaugurated the UNWTO’s first Regional Office, in Riyadh, which will harness collaboration to grow and strengthen the region’s tourism industry.

Her Highness Princess Haifa Mohamed Bint Al Saud, Assistant Minister of Tourism, expressed optimism for the future of the industry, emphasizing the need to satisfy people’s desire to travel while building an ecosystem that attracts investment and enables a greater diversity of people and geographic areas to benefit in the prosperity tourism brings.

ENDS

UNWTO’S FIRST REGIONAL OFFICE OPENS IN RIYADH

• UNWTO, in collaboration with the Saudi Ministry of Tourism, launches first-ever regional office in Riyadh
• New office will serve as a coordinating hub across 13 countries in the Middle East
• Initiative marks new direction for the coordination of global tourism with regional collaboration spearheading the approach
• Best Tourism Villages of the World certification announced as one of the first initiatives driven by the office

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, 26 May 2021: The first United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) regional office was officially opened today in Riyadh by UNWTO Secretary-General, Zurab Pololikashvili and the Saudi Minister for Tourism, His Excellency Ahmed Al Khateeb at an event attended by regional tourism ministers and industry leaders.

The new office will serve as a hub for UNWTO to coordinate policy and initiatives across thirteen countries in the Middle East, acting as a pivotal forum for engagement to drive tourism initiatives in the region and build long-term growth for the sector.

The office will lead UNWTO’s work across the region, promoting tourism products, sustainable development and the collection of tourism data and analysis. Responding to a need for locally relevant initiatives to drive effective change, the office will champion investment in tourism assets and capabilities, and spearhead regional collaboration in data-sharing and health policy.

His Excellency Ahmed Al Khateeb, Saudi Minister for Tourism, in a keynote address pledged continued support to the UNWTO and the development of global tourism.

“As the first UNWTO office of its kind, the Riyadh office will serve as a beacon for regional collaboration. We are thrilled to host the office in Saudi Arabia,” he said. “During Saudi's Presidency of last year’s G20, we took the opportunity to host the first ever T20 meeting. At that meeting we committed to work with our partners around the world in developing a strong industry based on the principles of sustainability and opportunities for all. The establishment of this office is a continuation of that commitment.”

“The launch of UNWTO’s first ever regional office is a landmark event and signals a new direction for the coordination of global tourism, with regional collaboration at the heart of the approach,” said Zurab Pololikashvili, UNWTO Secretary-General. “This new initiative recognizes that alignment on the regional level is key to unlocking the Middle East’s vast tourism potential and creating social, economic and environmental resiliency for the sector and its people. We expect that this will be recognised as a model for future efforts to make the benefits of tourism available to all,”

Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Tourism is hosting and supporting the regional office as part of a long-standing partnership between the Ministry and UNWTO. Together, the two organizations have taken a leading role throughout the global COVID-19 health crisis to shape recovery strategies for the travel and tourism sector. This new initiative delivers on the commitments made during Saudi’s Presidency of the G20 and outlined in the AlUla Framework for Inclusive Community Development and the Diriyah Communique.

A key initiative within the new office will be the development of an international tourism academy dedicated to supporting the ambitions of a new generation of tourism leaders. During his remarks at the office opening, H.E. Ahmed Al Khateeb outlined the vision for the new Academy.

“In partnership with UNWTO, we will create the world’s greatest multi-cultural and immersive learning environment, a leading global center of excellence that redefines tourism and hospitality education,” he said. “The international tourism academy in Riyadh will be a place where faculty and students can discover, create and share knowledge to achieve long-lasting impact on the global tourism and hospitality industry.”

As a first step in the development of the Academy, the Ministry has signed an agreement to use the existing UNWTO Tourism Online Academy as a platform to create and disseminate training programs in Saudi Arabia.

At the ceremony, Zurab Pololikashvili also announced the launch of a new UNWTO certification to recognise the Best Tourism Villages of the World. The regional implementation of this initiative will be among the first programs to be coordinated out of the new office. The initiative, which will open for submissions later this year, will recognize outstanding rural tourism destinations committed to sustainability, by celebrating their natural landscape, traditional social structure and agricultural diversity.

“Tourism has an unparalleled capacity to support thriving communities at every level of society,” said Zurab Pololikashvili, “The Best Tourism Villages of the World certification will be instrumental in protecting and celebrating unique local traditions and creating opportunities for the genuine, meaningful cultural exchange that is at the heart of the tourism experience.”

ENDS

UNWTO OPENS CALL FOR ‘BEST TOURISM VILLAGES’

·UNWTO is recognizing villages across the world that are committed to the promotion and preservation of their cultural heritage and sustainable development through tourism

·New initiative announced at the opening of UNWTO Middle East regional office in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia/Madrid, Spain, 26 May 2021: The search is on for the best examples of rural villages harnessing the power of tourism to provide opportunity and safeguard their communities, local traditions and heritage. The initiative of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) will identify villages taking innovative and transformative approaches to tourism in rural areas in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

With the vision of making tourism a positive force for transformation, rural development and community wellbeing, ‘Best Tourism Villages by UNWTO’ aims to maximise the contribution of the sector to reducing regional inequalities and fighting against rural depopulation. It also seeks to advance the role of tourism in valuing and safeguarding rural villages along with their associated landscapes, knowledge systems, biological and cultural diversity, local values and activities, including gastronomy.

The launch of the ‘Best Tourism Villages by UNWTO’ initiative takes place on the occasion of the opening of UNWTO’s first Regional Office in the Middle East (Riyadh, Saudi Arabia), underscoring the focus of the Office on, among other issues, the role of tourism in rural development.

Celebrating tourism as a driver of rural development and wellbeing

“Tourism can be a driver of positive change for rural communities all around the world,” said UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili. “We want to recognize the uniqueness of each village and showcase the best initiatives to make tourism a means for a better future in rural areas. As we restart tourism, we work to ensure that we leave no one - and no village- behind.”

At the opening of the UNWTO Regional office in Riyadh, His Excellency Ahmed Al Khateeb, Saudi Arabia’s Minister for Tourism, said: “We are proud to be a partner of UNWTO as they launch this important initiative. For our rural communities, tourism is an opportunity to share their vibrant culture, amazing food and famous Saudi hospitality, while benefitting from the socio-economic opportunities provided by the sector.”

The initiative includes three pillars: 

1. The ‘Best Tourism Villages by UNWTO’ Label: The Label will recognize a village which is an outstanding example of a rural tourism destination with recognized cultural and natural assets, that preserves and promotes rural and community-based values, products and lifestyle and has a clear commitment to innovation and sustainability in all its aspects – economic, social and environmental.

2. The ‘Best Tourism Villages by UNWTO’ Upgrade Programme: The Upgrade programme will benefit a number of villages that do not fully meet the Label criteria. These villages will receive support from UNWTO and its Partners in improving elements of the areas identified as gaps in the evaluation process.

3. The ‘Best Tourism Villages by UNWTO’ Network: The Network will provide a space for exchanging experiences and good practices, learnings, and opportunities. It will include representatives of the villages awarded the ‘Best Tourism Village by UNWTO’ Label, the villages participating in the Upgrade Programme, as well as experts, public and private sector partners engaged in the promotion of tourism for rural development.

UNWTO Members States can present up to three villages to be assessed by the Initiative. Applications will close on 31 July 2021. The selected villages will be announced in October 2021, on the occasion of the 24 session of the UNWTO General Assembly (Marrakesh, Morocco, 12-15 October 2021).

Related Links

Best villages web: https://www.unwto.org/tourism-villages/  

B-roll and other materials including images will also be made available on Red Robots MediaGRAB: https://www.mediagrab.press/view/package/325

ENDS.

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