ABU DHABI — A high-level meeting was held in the United Arab Emirates on Monday to discuss ways to forge closer cooperation among different government agencies to support the country's tourism sector, the state news agency WAM reported. The meeting was attended by Minister of Economy Abdullah bin Touq Al Marri, Minister of State for Entrepreneurship and SMEs Dr. Ahmad Belhoul Al Falasi, Minister of State for Foreign Trade Dr. Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi and chairman of the Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority (SCTDA) Khalid Jasim Al Midfa. The meeting, which took place at the SCTDA's headquarters in Sharjah, explored ways to revive tourism activities and consolidate the UAE's position as a leading, diversified, and sustainable tourism destination at the regional and global levels. The meeting saw the minister of economy reiterate the tourism sector's pivotal role in the country's long-term sustainable development plans and economic progress, reflecting the vision to build a diversified, globally competitive, and knowledge- and innovation-driven economy led by nationals. Furthermore, they discussed prominent tourism programs and initiatives launched in Sharjah and the rest of the UAE. During the discussion, they agreed to strengthen coordination and cooperation to implement relevant initiatives included in the flexible packages and the 33-initiative plan that was unveiled to support key economic sectors. Al Marri said: "With its developed and pioneering system, the UAE's tourism industry performed well as evidenced by its impressive ratings and high rankings across many global indicators last year. For instance, it ranked first in the Middle East region and 33rd globally in terms of competitiveness. Tourism's economic contributions last year were considered as well. According to the 2019 report of the World Economic Forum, the sector accounted for 11.9 percent of the UAE's gross domestic product and created 745,000 job opportunities." "We will continue to strengthen our communication and coordination with the private sector entities operating in the tourism industry to monitor and follow-up on the most important developments in the sector and address present challenges brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic," he added. On SCTDA's efforts to promote Sharjah's tourism, the Minister of Economy commended the authority for its numerous initiatives in the emirate and the UAE, and for encouraging citizens and residents to explore the many tourist attractions in the country. Dr. Al Falasi was upbeat that the tourism and hospitality sectors performed well in the past. As of the end of 2019, there are 1,136 hotel establishments with more than 183,000 rooms which welcomed nearly 27 million guests of various nationalities, a six percent increase compared to 2018. During the meeting, Dr. Al Zeyoudi emphasized the role of the tourism sector in the UAE's economic diversification, sustainable development and foreign trade policies. By the end of 2019, the total investment in tourism was more than AED27.5 billion. Khalid Jasim Al Midfa, chairman of the SCTDA, explained that the visit served as an important platform in the efforts to explore further cooperation with the Ministry of Economy, especially in the move to promote tourism during a post-COVID-19 phase. "We renew our commitment to support the proactive endeavors led by the Ministry of Economy to implement initiatives related to the tourism sector, which are part of the 33 initiatives planned to support the economic sectors. We have launched a package of specific initiatives that are aimed at consolidating the leadership of the emirate in the list of safe tourist destinations in the world, by focusing on following the best practices that guarantee the health and safety of visitors," said Al Midfa in conclusion.
