Tourism in the MENA Region: Recovery and Resilience
VIDEO: Interview with the Tourism Ministers of Egypt, Lebanon, Morocco and Tunisia
February 06, 2014
Casa Árabe and the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) organized, last February 23, the Ministerial Forum of Debate on The Future of Tourism in the Middle East and North Africa Region (known by its abbreviation “MENA”).
The forum brought together the Tourism Ministers of the main countries receiving tourism in the region. During the meeting, there was a review of the current situation, and those participating debated the strategies to implement in order to accelerate and consolidate tourism’s recovery, as well as guaranteeing its sustained growth, furthering the competitiveness of tourist destinations and promoting investments.
The opening event was presided over by the State Secretary of Foreign Affairs, Gonzalo de Benito Secades, the General Director of Casa Árabe, Eduardo López Busquets, and the Secretary General of the World Tourism Organization, Taleb Rifai.
Rifai began by indicating that the results for 2013, recently published by the UNWTO, demonstrate that tourism grew by 5% worldwide, and he pointed out that, “despite a lengthy history of internal crises, tourism growth in the MENA region over the last two decades has been, as many of you are probably well aware, a success story.”
The Secretary General of the UNWTO acknowledged that the last three years have been difficult times for the region due to its political turbulence. However, he emphasized that the tourism industry has yet again demonstrated its ability to withstand.
Rifai also stated that North Africa has seen a consolidation in the recovery which began in 2012, having experienced notable growth (6%), with two important destinations in the sub-region, Morocco and Tunisia. In the Middle East, the situation appears to have remained more sluggish, though it may be viewed with hope, because it is putting an end to two consecutive years of negative results, with differing results seen for the various destinations within the region.
At the end of the day, in order to get a more detailed overview of each country, Casa Árabe held exclusive interviews with the four Tourism Ministers attending the event: those from Egypt, Lebanon, Morocco and Tunisia.
