Thursday, October 5, 2023
A new worldwide movement has been launched in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, to unify and urge governments, tourism industry leaders, and consumers to be more open-minded when choosing a holiday destination.
“Tourism Opens Minds” which was announced at World Tourism Day festivities in Saudi Arabia’s capital, will highlight the significant role that tourism plays in uniting cultures and encouraging a more linked and harmonious world.
To commemorate the occasion, delegates assembled in Riyadh were given a unique Pledge urging them to actively seek to promote new and underappreciated places.
World Tourism Day 2023 was hosted as fresh UNWTO statistics highlighted the sector’s recovery from the pandemic’s effects. The research also indicates that only a minority of tourists aim to seek out new or different places when they return to travel.
According to the UNWTO World Tourism Barometer, global tourism is on course to recover between 80% and 95% of foreign arrivals by the end of 2023.
Notably, a recent YouGov poll indicated that 66% of tourists felt that visiting a place that is familiar to them is essential. Just about half of those polled are uneasy about visiting unfamiliar areas.This is despite the fact that 83% of individuals who travel to new places say they return with an altered or enlarged viewpoint.
The statistics demonstrates the need of efforts like ‘Tourism Open Minds’ to encourage customers to diversify their travel patterns, with UNWTO unifying the worldwide sector behind this goal. The project also intends to help government officials, industry leaders, and consumers avoid the effects of overtourism, create mutual understanding, save the environment, and assure the sector’s equitable growth.
His Excellency Ahmed Al-Khateeb, Minister of Tourism of Saudi Arabia, said,“Our contributions including pivotal partnerships such as the establishment of the UNWTO Middle East office in Riyadh, the creation of the Riyadh School for Travel and Hospitality and hosting record-breaking editions of the WTTC Global Forum and UNWTO World Tourism Day, underscore the immense potential of the sector when people from across the globe are united and connected.
“The UNWTO ‘Tourism Opens Minds’ Initiative is another important milestone for the tourism sector, and its launch at World Tourism Day in Riyadh is a continuation of our many previous commitments to the global tourism sector.”
High-level attendees at the World Tourism Day events in Riyadh were encouraged to sign a Pledge, which represented their united resolve to work together to:
• Make lesser-known sites more inviting and accessible.
• Contribute to and build an atmosphere that complements journeys to lesser-known sites.
• To be more open to different cultures and travel locations.
A new logo for the campaign was also released. The emblem, inspired by the colors of every country’s flag, serves as a visual depiction of working together to acknowledge the value of tourism in creating cultural linkages and sustainable progress for all.
Sunday, April 28, 2024
Sunday, April 28, 2024
Sunday, April 28, 2024
