The Middle East Committee of the World Tourism Organisation, UNWTO, has elected Mohammed Khamis Al Muhairi, Under-Secretary at the Ministry of Economy, Minister's Advisor for Tourism Affairs and Chairman of the UAE Delegation, as the chairman of its new session, during a meeting that was held as part of the activities of the UNWTO General Assembly.

The UNWTO General Assembly meetings, held in the Chinese city of Chengdu from 11th to 16th September, 2017, are among the organisation’s most important activities. During these meetings, the assembly drafts its general policies, elects its chairmen and members of all its committees and sub-committees, and discusses all issues related to global tourism.

During the current meetings, the Middle East Committee will discuss the projects of member countries from the Middle East and North Africa, in the presence of UNWTO representatives, ministers, government agents and tourism sector representatives from the region.

Al Muhairi highlighted the UAE’s desire to effectively assist and participate in the meetings of the UNWTO General Assembly, which is the main partner of the country’s tourism sector through their ongoing coordination and cooperation. The Assembly also provides the UAE with the opportunity to benefit from its experience in technical support, tourism statistics, tourism capacity building and sustainable strategic planning, he added.

He explained that the UAE delegation and UNWTO officials will also meet to discuss the developments in future UAE projects to support the local tourism sector, including the establishment of tourism sub-accounts, the launch of the Emirates Hospitality Initiative, organising leadership capacity building sessions and drafting a national strategy for tourism development.

He highlighted that the UAE is now a leading country in international tourism development, as it topped global tourism competitiveness indexes in many indicators, and it took the leading position among Middle Eastern countries in these indexes, reflecting the considerable attention provided by the wise leadership, as well as Sultan bin Saeed Al Mansouri, Minister of Economy, to the tourism sector, as a major sector that will support the post-oil economy.