SAN FRANCISCO — Saudi Minister of Tourism and Chairman of the Quality of Life Program Ahmed Al-Khateeb said that sustainable development needs to be the cornerstone of the travel and tourism sector, now and into the future. He said this while delivering keynote address at the opening plenary session of the fourth annual World Economic Forum Urban Transformation Summit, which concluded in San Francisco, California on Wednesday. Al-Khateeb, who chaired one of the Summit sessions, said that tourism growth brings challenges like overcrowding, inadequate infrastructure, and environmental pressures. "Keeping sustainability at the heart of the approach to tackling those challenges will set up the sector for the future. We are seeing exponential growth in the tourism sector, and in parallel, we are seeing a rising demand for sustainable, enriching experiences," he said while noting "this provides us with the chance to reshape tourism while safeguarding the planet and driving positive change that benefits communities as well as economies, for future generations." Al-Khateeb said that building a strong global community of industry leaders and experts, who can convene at forums such as the WEF Urban Transformation Summit, is essential for creating a positive and lasting future for tourism and developing collaborative solutions to seize those growth opportunities responsibly. "Tourism and sustainability are key pillars of Saudi Arabia's Future Saudi Cities Program and remain a focus for our leaders. But we need city leaders, urban planners, and tourism experts from around the world to share best practices at forums like these, to think about the tourism sector and work out how they can support it by creating smart, sustainable, and resilient cities. Stronger public-private partnerships are also essential to transforming tourism into a driver of sustainable development, and we as governments need to incentivize and encourage private partners who prioritize sustainability," he pointed out. Al-Khateeb also participated in a strategy session titled "Shaping the Future of Tourism" and an executive roundtable discussion titled "The Future of Travel and Tourism." The 4th edition of the WEF Annual Urban Transformation brought together 250 participants over two and a half days. Discussions focused on topics such as sustainable redevelopment, travel and tourism, mobility transformation, innovation ecosystems, nature-positive infrastructure, and technology governance.
