MARRAKESH — Saudi Arabia has been elected to chair the Executive Council of the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) during the organization’s 117th session in Marrakesh, Morocco, from November 23 to 25, the country’s Ministry of Tourism has announced.

Saudi Arabia is the first Gulf country to chair the UNWTO executive council.

Minister of Tourism and UNWTO Chairman Ahmed Al-Khateeb said: "The Kingdom is honored to be elected as the chair of the UNWTO Executive Council, and we believe in the importance of the organization’s pioneering role and look forward to cooperating with all countries to support and develop the global tourism sector".

He added: "The UNWTO focuses on promoting tourism due to its important role in stimulating economic development, and the Kingdom, in turn, fully supports these efforts. It pledged to allocate $800 billion in government investments in the Saudi tourism sector by 2030. The development we seek to be achieved at the national and international level is sustainable, comprehensive, and flexible to meet the changing needs of companies and societies in general".

Saudi Arabia, in its capacity as chair of the council, will focus on setting the agenda for the meetings and discussing the most important issues related to the tourism sector. The Kingdom will facilitate meetings and manage dialogues to reach implementable results. The tenure of the UNWTO Executive Council presidency is one year, meaning Saudi Arabia will occupy the position during the entire 2023.

The organization undertakes the task of developing tourism as a means of consolidating international peace and understanding and promoting economic development and international trade. The executive council is the second highest decision-making body in the organization after the General Assembly. — SPA