- Saudi, Qatar unite to strengthen tourism collaboration and growth.
- MoU promotes sustainability, culture, and shared tourism innovation.
- Supports Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 goals for tourism expansion and growth.
Saudi Arabia and Qatar have agreed to a memorandum of understanding to enhance collaboration and share knowledge in tourism development during the UN Tourism General Assembly in Riyadh.
According to an official statement, the agreement was signed by Saudi Minister of Tourism Ahmed Al-Khateeb and Saad bin Ali Al-Kharji, Chairman of Qatar Tourism, aiming to explore collaborative opportunities, create innovative initiatives, and promote sustainable growth in the tourism sectors of both countries.
The collaboration occurs as Saudi tourists accounted for almost 25% of all visitors to Qatar in 2024, a Visit Qatar representative informed Arab News in January. It also coincides with Qatar's continual endeavors to maintain the momentum achieved from hosting the FIFA World Cup 2022, which attracted millions of global travelers.
Tourism is also a key element of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 plan to diversify the Kingdom’s economy beyond oil and promote social change. As part of the initiative, Saudi Arabia intends to draw in 150 million visitors each year by 2030, ensuring that at least one-third are from overseas.
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As stated in the joint declaration, the MoU aims to improve tourism service quality, encourage sustainability, and assist projects that showcase the unique cultural and natural experiences of each country. The two parties also intend to work together on marketing initiatives and activities aimed at enhancing their international tourism attractiveness.
At the ninth Future Investment Initiative conference in October, Al-Khateeb highlighted that Saudi Arabia seeks to double tourism's share in the national economy - now approximately 5 percent - as it advances as a prominent global destination.