Qatar Emerges as a Tourism Visionary as UN Tourism Regional Commission Showcases the Middle East’s Rapid Growth, Future Potential and Strategic Roadmap for Success

Top tourism officials from across the Middle East gathered for the 51st session of the UN Tourism Regional Commission to drive the sector’s continued expansion. Hosted in Qatar, the high-profile meeting brought together senior representatives from 13 Member States, including eight Tourism Ministers, to evaluate achievements, analyze emerging trends, and set strategic priorities for the region’s future.

The Middle East has emerged as the world’s fastest-recovering tourism region, closing 2024 with impressive growth. UN Tourism Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili highlighted Qatar’s remarkable progress, acknowledging the country’s ambitious tourism goals. Qatar is well on its way to welcoming 6 million visitors annually while working toward increasing tourism’s contribution to its GDP to 12%.

This latest session reinforced the commitment of Middle Eastern nations to leveraging tourism as a key economic driver, with a focus on sustainable development, innovation, and enhanced connectivity across the region.

“The Middle East stands out as one of the most exciting places for tourism right now. The region is a leader in fields such as luxury tourism, wellness tourism and sports tourism, and is also at the forefront of vital work to grow investments into the sector and provide education and training for millions of future tourism workers,” Secretary-General Pololikashvili said.

Advancing Tourism Education Across the Region

The latest reports from the Secretary-General and the Regional Director for the Middle East highlight UN Tourism’s dedication to fostering talent development through education and professional training. Key milestones include:

Expanding Educational Access: Over 30,000 students, with more than half being women, have enrolled in the UN Tourism Online Academy, which now offers 50 courses from 18 academic partners. New courses, developed with Saudi Arabia’s support, have further strengthened the platform.
High School Tourism Education: The UN Tourism Education Toolkit is now being implemented in high schools across the UAE, ensuring early exposure to tourism career opportunities.
Human Capital Development: Saudi Arabia’s collaboration has led to the introduction of 10 new courses on the Human Capital Development by E-Learning Project, with an upgraded platform integrating Artificial Intelligence for enhanced learning.
World-Class Tourism Training: The Riyadh School of Tourism and Hospitality continues to equip professionals with critical industry skills, preparing future leaders in the sector.

Sports Tourism as a Key Economic Driver

The power of sports tourism as an economic diversification tool was showcased in Doha, emphasizing the Qatar FIFA World Cup 2022 as a global success story. Other major sporting events in the Middle East—such as Formula 1 in Bahrain and the UAE, the Dakar Rally in Saudi Arabia, and the region’s high-profile acquisitions of international football teams and players—have solidified its status as a global sports tourism hub.

A special one-day conference on Sports Tourism and the Tourism Industry After the World Cup was held within the framework of the Regional Commission, reinforcing the sector’s long-term significance.

Strengthening Regional Cooperation and Diversification

UN Tourism reiterated its commitment to resilience and diversification, emphasizing:

Wellness tourism as a growing sector with immense potential.
Gastronomy tourism as a key driver of rural development and cultural heritage preservation.

In line with the statutory obligations of the Regional Commission, Member States confirmed key appointments for the coming years:

Kuwait will chair the Regional Commission for 2025-2027, with Qatar as First Vice-Chair and Iraq as Second Vice-Chair.
Egypt and the UAE will hold seats on the UN Tourism Executive Council (2025-2029).
Saudi Arabia will serve on the Committee on Tourism Online Education (2025-2029), while the UAE will contribute to the Technical Committee for the International Code for the Protection of Tourists.

The 52nd Regional Commission for the Middle East will convene in Kuwait City, Kuwait, in 2026, marking another milestone in the region’s collaborative efforts to shape the future of global tourism.

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