Samarkand, The Bahrain Tourism and Exhibitions Authority (BTEA) represented Bahrain at the 25th UNWTO General Assembly in Uzbekistan.
Bahrain’s delegation was led by Dr. Nasser Qaedi, CEO of BTEA, in the presence of representatives from over 150 member nations, including ministers and top tourism officials.
At the opening of the UNWTO General Assembly sessions, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev of Uzbekistan acknowledged the challenges faced by the tourism sector due to the COVID-19 pandemic, emphasising the importance of tourism’s contribution to the global economy.
“Tourism is one of the most rapidly developing and promising sectors of the world economy, accounting for about 10% of the world’s GDP and 7% of its exports before the pandemic,” Mirziyoyev added.
Zurab Pololikashvili, UNWTO Secretary-General, stressed the importance of this Assembly as a collective effort for all members to advance common priorities for the future of tourism: investments and education.
On the sidelines of the 25th UNWTO General Assembly, the CEO of BTEA held talks with the UNWTO Secretary-General, focusing on the strides made by the tourism sector in the Kingdom while discussing cooperation and topics of common interest.
The meeting discussed multiple projects between Bahrain and the UNWTO and further reinforced the Kingdom’s role in UNWTO operations as part of Bahrain’s membership in the UNWTO executive council.
Dr. Qaedi met his counterparts from the GCC, stressing the significance of joint tourism collaboration efforts to promote GCC countries as pioneering tourism destinations.
He took part in a high-level ministerial panel at the global tourism education forum, accompanied by Jordi Torres Falc?, Andorran Minister of Tourism and Commerce; Anayansy Carolina Rodríguez Castillo, Guatemalan Minister of Tourism; Christina Garcia Frasco, Filipino Minister of Tourism; and Rodney Sikumba, Zambian Minister of Tourism and Arts.
BTEA delegation also attended two executive council meetings.
Through the 25th UNWTO General Assembly schedule, Bahrain was further recognised as one of the fastest-growing tourism markets, with the Kingdom being awarded to host the 9th UNWTO World Forum on Gastronomy Tourism in 2024, the world’s largest gastronomy tourism event.
“We are pleased to be an active part of this prominent UN event with a keen focus on identifying prospects for crafting new policies and effective tools to bolster inclusive and sustainable tourism development, bridging the existing skill gap, and nurturing value-added employment opportunities,” BTEA CEO said.
He added that the General Assembly will serve as an ideal platform to showcase pivotal UNWTO initiatives, with a greater spotlight on tourism cooperation efforts to promote Bahrain as a destination and enhance travel and tourism partnerships.
“We are keen to join Bahrain’s efforts with regional and global leaders and decision-makers to shape the way forward for the global tourism sector. We at BTEA are set to adopt new mechanisms with our international counterparts to further contribute to the development of global tourism and promote international cooperation.”
“With our promising tourism strategy 2022-2026, the Kingdom is on the right track to achieve its tourism goals of product diversification, increasing the tourism contribution to GDP and drawing more tourists worldwide, adding value to the Kingdom’s sustainable development in promising sectors by attracting more tourism investments, creating more jobs, and adopting more creative initiatives to support tourism progress,” Dr. Qaedi added.
Under the theme ”Crossroads of Cultures”, this major UN tourism event combined a varied line-up of activities as the tourism sector charted a new path to an accelerated recovery. The General Assembly also hosted two thematic forums on education and investments. In addition, a wide variety of meetings focused on education, innovation, and sustainability, allowing participants to present their viewpoints and concerns to improve the future activities and projects of the UNWTO.
Source: Bahrain News Agency
