After three consecutive years of decline, international tourist arrivals to the Middle East grew by 4% and by 1% to North Africa in 2014, according to the most recent UNWTO data. Mainly depending on peace and stability, future tourism prospects for the Middle East are positive. By 2030 the MENA region could receive 195 million tourist arrivals, according to UNWTO forecasts, benefiting both established and emerging destinations.
Together organized by the UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and Casa Árabe, a public consortium was held during the Madrid International Tourism Fair in Madrid, Spain and headed by the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Relations. The forum consolidated into a major platform a place to exchange best practices and identification of strategic areas to address in order to further reinforce tourism development in the Middle East and North Africa region.
In recent years the tourism sector in the Middle East and North Africa has been largely able to recover and even bounce back over the past year. Against this backdrop, several tourism ministers of the region, Spanish authorities, and private sector representatives focused on future tourism prospects at the third Ministerial Round Table on Tourism Development in the MENA Region, during FITUR on January 29.
UNWTO Secretary-General, Taleb Rifai, said that “Spain has a critical role in bringing Europe and the MENA region closer together, while tourism is one of the most important vehicles for the comeback of the region; this is already happening, creating jobs and eliminating poverty.”
Experts believe in a strong pent up demand for tourism to the region from both intra and inter-regional generating markets, which will continue to be released as uncertainty fades away and consumer confidence returns.
Tourism Ministers who participated pointed specifically to the critical contribution of political stability for tourism to prosper and contribute to socio-economic progress. A more stable political framework is conducive to successfully addressing challenges which include the removal of barriers to growth, strengthening the sector’s resilience, adapting to changing consumer patterns and technological changes, as well as developing new business models and maximizing tourism’s social and economic benefits, while minimizing possible negative impacts.
