UAE participates in BRICS Tourism Ministers' Meeting to enhance collaboration for sustainable tourism development

His Excellency Abdulla bin Touq Al-Marri, Minister of Economy and Chairman of the UAE Tourism Council, led the UAE delegation at BRICS Tourism Ministers’ Meeting, held in Moscow on June 20 and 21, 2024. Chaired by the President of the Russian Federation Group "BRICS" 2024, under the theme ‘Promoting multilateralism for equitable development and security in the world,’ the meeting aimed to enhance cooperation among Member States in advancing sustainable tourism and exploring diverse tourism opportunities.

Bin Touq emphasized the commitment of the UAE, under the guidance of its wise leadership, to enhance tourism cooperation with BRICS countries and explore new opportunities for sustainable tourism partnerships. These efforts are aimed at positioning UAE as a world leading tourist destination in line with ‘We the UAE 2031’ vision.

Bin Touq said, “We are committed to strengthening our collaboration with our partners in the BRICS Group to develop a robust and sustainable tourism sector. This involves improving air connectivity and infrastructure, leveraging the strategic position of the UAE and member countries, embracing digital transformation and technology across tourism sectors and tourism activities, and sharing best experiences and practices. These efforts will facilitate smoother travel and boost tourist flow among member states, offering a unique tourist experience for travelers from all over the world.”

H.E added: “The tourism sector in the region and the world will witness a new era of growth and prosperity. This follows the robust recovery of the global tourism industry in 2023, where growth indicators reached 88 per cent of pre-pandemic levels and generated an estimated USD1.6 trillion in revenue according to United Nations Tourism data. These developments underscore the need to make more efforts towards tourism development.”

His Excellency continued: "The UAE tourism sector is a strong bridge to promote the growth and sustainability of the national economy. The country has been keen to develop this vital sector by launching pioneering tourism projects, initiatives and strategies, notably the ‘National Tourism Strategy 2031’. This strategy aims to significantly boost the sector’s contribution to the GDP, targeting AED 450 billion, attract investments totaling AED 100 billion by the next decade, and introduce the ‘National Tourism Charter’. This charter provides a strategic framework to foster sustainable growth in tourism, preserving the country’s heritage, natural and cultural treasures for future generations. Additionally, the launch of the ‘Hospitality Advisory Council’, enhances UAE’s attractiveness for domestic and foreign investments in the hospitality, hotel and accommodation sectors.”

His Excellency bin Touq reviewed some indications and results that showed the high position of UAE tourism on the global competitiveness indicators, including achieving a significant 26 per cent growth rate in 2023 compared to 2022, surpassing the growth rate of 2019 by 14 per cent. The sector contributes around AED 220 billion, 11.7 pert cent to the national GDP. Additionally, the UAE is ranked first regionally and 18^th globally on the Travel and Tourism Development Index 2024, while being the sixth biggest market in the world in terms of tourism revenue in 2023, totaling AED 191 billion.

His Excellency bin Touq highlighted several tourism projects undertaken by the UAE recently. These include expanding airport capacity, developing tourist attractions and destinations according to best international practices, upgrading transportation infrastructure, and integrating cutting-edge technologies to improve traveler experiences at the country’s airports. H.E also emphasized the launch of a digital platform offering innovative virtual travel experiences of the distinct tourist spots across all the seven emirates.

His Excellency further underscored the country’s commitment to improving sustainable tourism with Member States and providing all support required to achieve this goal. “This commitment is particularly evident with the UAE currently cooperating with the UN Tourism to implement the Statistical Framework for Measuring the Sustainability of Tourism (MST), which helps to collecting and analyzing tourist data and information in a better and more accurate way and supports efforts to promote sustainable practices across various tourism sectors,” H.E added.

The BRICS group is an important platform aimed at strengthening economic, trade, cultural, and tourist cooperation between the Member States through exchanging experiences and fostering partnerships to achieve comprehensive and sustainable development that benefits all parties. Collaboration in the tourism sector reveals new prospects for mutual development and prosperity, increasing understanding and rapprochement between peoples and cultures.