H.E. Bin Touq meets with Guatemalan Minister of Tourism to strengthen cooperation and explore opportunities in the sector

• Meeting takes place on the sidelines of seventh edition of Sharjah Investment Forum

• E. Bin Touq: UAE and Guatemala boast promising opportunities to enhance cooperation in key economic and tourism sectors

H.E. Abdulla Bin Touq Al Marri, Minister of Economy and Chairman of the UAE Tourism Council, met with Harris Whitbeck, Guatemalan Minister of Tourism, to explore the strengthening of cooperation between the two countries in the tourism sector. The meeting took place on the sidelines of H.E.’s participation in the seventh edition of the Sharjah Investment Forum (SIF), organized by the Sharjah FDI Office ‘Invest in Sharjah’ under the theme ‘A Futuristic Vision for Smart Economies.’

During the meeting, H.E. Bin Touq lauded the substantial progress in the UAE-Guatemala bilateral relations in diverse sectors, particularly in economy and trade. H.E. added that there exist promising prospects for further enhancing economic cooperation between the two countries in several key sectors such as tourism, entrepreneurship, and the new economy.

The two ministers explored ways to strengthen tourism cooperation between the UAE and Guatemala by leveraging their existing economic partnership. The aim is to create new opportunities in tourism, aviation and travel for the private sector and develop innovative tourism and leisure initiatives to stimulate tourism flows between the two markets.

Furthermore, the meeting highlighted the significance of enhancing cooperation to launch joint marketing campaigns to promote prominent tourist attractions and destinations in both markets, with the goal of attracting more tourists and visitors. Both sides recognized the importance of exchanging experiences and policies that promote the sector’s sustainability, thereby fostering economic growth.

H.E. Bin Touq apprised the Gautaemalan minister of the UAE's endeavors to advance the sector’s growth in line with the UAE Tourism Strategy 2031. The strategy plays a crucial role in strengthening the competitiveness of the UAE's tourism sector by the next decade. It has set several national objectives, including the consolidation of the UAE as a leading global tourist destination, increasing the sector's contribution to the national GDP to AED 450 billion, attracting an additional AED 100 billion in tourism investments, and welcoming 40 million visitors in alignment with the ‘We the UAE 2031’ vision.

H.E. also shed light on the recent performance and achievements of the UAE's tourism sector. Its contribution to the national GDP grew by 26 per cent in 2023 compared to that of 2022, surpassing 2019 levels by 14 per cent. The sector's overall contribution amounted to AED 220 billion, equivalent to 11.7 per cent of the country's GDP. In addition, it generated a total of 809,000 job opportunities in various tourism-related activities in the country in 2023, accounting for 12.3 per cent of the total labor market. This signifies a notable five per cent growth compared to 2022 and an impressive 11.4 per cent increase compared to the pre-pandemic levels.