RIYADH: The 116th Executive Council of the United Nations World Tourism Organization, also known as UNWTO, has begun in Jeddah, with how to help the sector rebound after the pandemic the main topic of discussion.

The two-day event will see 180 participants from different countries attending the gathering.

The Executive Council’s session will be conducted on the first day, while the second day will hold a thematic session named Tourism Futures — New Governance.

Recent figures from UNWTO suggest that international tourist arrivals were up 182 percent to an estimated 117 million in the first quarter of 2022 from about 41 million in the same period a year ago.

Even though international tourist arrivals increased compared to last year’s Q1, it is still way behind the pre-pandemic levels.

Saudi Arabia praised for sustainability action

Saudi efforts to promote sustainable tourism are remarkable, said Anita Mendiratta, special adviser to the UNWTO secretary-general.

Talking to Arab News on the sidelines of the event, she said: “AlUla, as an example, is remarkable, and how it’s recognizing that sustainability is not just about green and blue, it’s about cultural sustainability, social sustainability, environmental sustainability, and economic sustainability.”

$100 million for 100,000 people

Saudi Arabia has allocated $100 million to provide training for 100,000 people to work in the tourism and sustainability sector, according to the Kingdom’s tourism minister.

Ahmed Al-Khateeb told attendees that Saudi Arabia is working to make the tourism industry more resilient and sustainable than ever.

“We don’t want to build the industry like it was in 2019. We want to go beyond that point,” said Al-Khateeb.