MidEast tourism chiefs set for post Arab Spring summit

Tourism ministers from the Middle East will come together next April for a special summit to drive forward the region's post-Arab Spring tourism strategy. Arabian Travel Market (ATM) and the World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) have revealed that the session will take place on April 30, the first day of the ATM 2012. "The ongoing changes in the Middle East and North Africa bring enormous opportunities," said UNWTO Secretary-General, Taleb Rifai. "Rule of law and democracy will empower local communities, opening the door for these to be better engaged in the process of tourism development," he added. Earlier this month, a report said tourist arrivals to the Middle East are set to drop six percent this year due to the impact of the Arab Spring. The World Travel Market Global Trends Report 2011 said the region would see a 1.8 percent decline in incoming tourist receipts, without giving a total value. The report, published in association with Euromonitor International, also said airlines would see a 10.3 percent drop in US dollar receipts while hotel income would fall by 3.6 percent compared to the previous year. Rifai said misperception was highlighted as one of the most pressing challenges for the region's tourism industry. For Egypt, where tourism numbers this year are expected to have fallen by between 20-25 percent compared to 2010, Minister of Tourism, Mounir Fakhri Abdel-Nour, said the country was committed to tourism. "In order to execute our development plans, we need to diversify source markets as well as add new products such as rehabilitation and wellness tourism, desert and adventure tourism," he said. According to Rifai, the UNWTO was forecasting the resumption of growth in the medium and long term despite a drop-off of visitors this year. "Tourism in the Middle East and Africa has been a success story - rising from just 18 million visitors in 1990 to more than 70 million last year," he said, adding that the figure will grow to 195 million visitors by 2030. Rifai said: "The Arab Spring has had an effect on the whole world of travel, and while we are passing through difficult times, they are also exciting times as tourism is the oil that never runs out."