UAE committed to strengthen tourism ties with BRICS states

Abdullah Bin Touq Al Marri, Minister of Economy and Chairman of the Emirates Tourism Council, led the UAE delegation at the BRICS’s first tourism forum held in Moscow, with top officials calling it a “great achievement” toward easing travel formalities and boosting cooperation among the hospitality sectors of the grouping of emerging-market nations.

During the meeting, Abdullah Bin Touq stressed the UAE’s commitment to strengthening tourism collaboration with BRICS countries and exploring new avenues for sustainable tourism partnerships. These partnerships are expected to drive economic growth, facilitate cultural exchange and knowledge transfer, and reinforce the UAE’s position as a leading global tourism destination in line with the objectives of the “UAE Vision 2031”.

 “We are committed to continuing our work with our BRICS partners to develop a resilient and sustainable tourism industry. We will enhance air connectivity and infrastructure, leverage the strategic location of the UAE and member countries, embrace digital transformation and technology in various tourism sectors and activities, and share best practices to facilitate travel, increase tourism flows between member countries, and provide a unique tourism experience for travellers from around the world,” the Minister said.

He also pointed out that the tourism sector is set for a period of growth and prosperity, driven by the robust recovery of global tourism industry growth indicators in 2023. These have reached 88% of pre-COVID pandemic levels, with revenues estimated at $1.6 trillion, according to indicators issued by the United Nations World Tourism Organization. This underscores the need for continued investment and effort in tourism development.

He also outlined how the UAE’s tourism sector can serve as a robust foundation for driving growth and sustainability in the national economy.

He said, “The UAE has been eager to develop this crucial sector by launching groundbreaking tourism projects, initiatives and strategies. These include the National Tourism Strategy 2031, which charts a course to elevate the UAE’s position as a world-leading tourism destination and aims to increase the contribution of the tourism sector to GDP by Dhs450 billion and attract investments worth Dhs100 billion by the next decade. Additionally, the UAE has launched the National Charter for Tourism, a strategic framework to enhance the country’s role as a leading tourism destination.”

He further reviewed a set of indicators and results that confirmed the UAE’s leadership in global competitive indicators. The country achieved a significant growth of 26 per cent in 2023 compared to 2022 and exceeded 2019 levels by 14 per cent, bringing its contribution to the UAE’s GDP to about Dhs220 billion, equivalent to 11.7 per cent of the country’s total GDP. The UAE is the regional leader and ranks the 18th globally in the Global Travel and Tourism Development Index (GTDI) for 2024. It also ranked the sixth globally as the world’s largest market in terms of tourism revenues with Dhs191 billion in 2023.

He also outlined the various tourism projects implemented by the UAE during the past phase, on the top of them is the expansion of airports capacities, development of destinations and tourist attractions in accordance with international best practices, and construction of advanced road and transport infrastructure within the country. In addition, it will employ the modern technologies to enhance the traveller experience through the airports, and provide a digital platform for innovative virtual tourism experiences around the distinctive sites and attractions in the seven emirates, he added.

He underlined the UAE’s dedication to fostering sustainable tourism with member states and offering all the necessary support to achieve this goal, particularly as the UAE is currently collaborating with UNWTO to implement the Sustainable Tourism Measurement Framework. This initiative will facilitate the collection and analysis of tourism data and information in a more effective and accurate manner, thereby enhancing the country’s capacity to adopt sustainable practices across various tourism sectors, Bin Touq added.

A day earlier, Chancellor Dr. Hamad Saif Al Shamsi, UAE Attorney-General, has visited St. Petersburg in the Russian Federation to attend the main events of the BRICS Summit 2024.

During the visit, Dr Al Shamsi met with several counterparts from BRICS and associated nations, including Igor Krasnov, Prosecutor-General of Russia; Ying Yong, Chief Grand Prosecutor and Prosecutor-General of the Supreme People’s Procuratorate (SPP) of the People’s Republic of China; K.M. Nataraj, Additional Solicitor-General of India; Mohamed Shawky Ayad, Prosecutor-General of the Arab Republic of Egypt; Tesfaye Daba Wakjira, Minister of State for Justice of Ethiopia; Mohammad Movahedi Azad, Prosecutor-General of the Islamic Republic of Iran; and Adv Shamila Batohi, National Director of Public Prosecutions of South Africa.

During the meetings, Al Shamsi explored with his counterparts avenues to develop cooperation between the UAE and the attending nations in the field of public prosecution, aiming to enhance coordination on shared issues of interest.

Agencies