The Ministry of Climate Change and Environment, MoCCaE, have joined several UAE national and private entities and the wider global community in marking World Tourism Day, in cooperation with Ajman Tourism Development Department, ATDD, at Al Zorah Nature Reserve in Ajman.

Commemorated on September 27th, this year’s World Tourism Day revolves around the theme, ‘Sustainable Tourism’ to promote a new tourism pattern that aims to strike the right balance between personal pleasure, environmental protection and sustainability of resources.

Speaking on the occasion, Hussein Hassan Mohamed Khansaheb, Director of the International Cooperation Department at MoCCaE, said, "The tourism sector puts additional pressure on environmental resources in several crucial areas. This has led to the search for new tourism patterns and the discovery of sustainable tourism. Although this concept is new, it has achieved considerable success due to the growing awareness and sense of environmental responsibility among concerned authorities and society as a whole."

He added, "Witnessing steady growth over the past decades, the tourism sector in the UAE has become one of the most important pillars of the national economy. With its state-of-the-art infrastructure and services, the country has evolved into a popular tourist destination. In 2016, the UAE attracted around 17 million tourists, with revenues reaching AED70 billion. The sector is poised for further growth in the coming years, especially ahead of the upcoming Dubai Expo 2020."

Khansaheb continued, "The ministry is keen to develop tourism in general and ecotourism in particular. In fact, the development of ecotourism is one of the main initiatives of the Ministry's Strategic Plan 2017-2021, the UAE Green Development Strategy and the National Environmental Education and Awareness Strategy 2015-2021."

Saud Abdul Aziz Al Jasmi, Head of Events Section at ATDD, said, "ATDD conceives and develops innovative ideas and transforms them into tourist experiences. We work to enhance the services and facilities provided to tourists in the emirate to achieve our goal of establishing Ajman as a sustainable tourist destination."

The celebration drew the participation of public and private sector entities, including the Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority, the Environment Agency of Abu Dhabi, the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing in Dubai, Department of Economic Development in Umm Al Qaiwain, Sharjah Investment and Development Authority, Shurooq, Fujairah Municipality, Al Usra Furnished Apartments and Al Zorah Development Company.