“Travel and tourism builds diversified and resilient economies”: Saudi Arabia Minister of Tourism, His Excellency Ahmed Al-Khateeb, tells World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos
24.1.2025 20:59:00 CET | Business Wire | Press release
Official Travel & Tourism sessions were prominently featured on the WEF agenda, with global leaders unpacking the transformative power of the sector. His Excellency urged global leaders to give the sector the attention it deserves to catalyze sustainable, cross-border, multi-sector economic growth.
The Travel and Tourism sector’s essential contribution to shaping the global landscape was underscored at the World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting in Davos this week with His Excellency Ahmed A. Al-Khateeb, Saudi Arabia Minister of Tourism, urging world leaders to provide the industry with the focus and collaborative solutions it deserves.
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250124536028/en/
Saudi Minister of Tourism, His Excellency Ahmed A. Al-Khateeb put travel and tourism on the global agenda at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland, this week. (Photo: AETOSWire)
Saudi Arabia welcomed nearly 30 million international visitors in 2024 and contributed almost 5% to the Kingdom’s GDP. In dedicated WEF sessions on travel and tourism, His Excellency, who attended Davos as part of the official Saudi Arabia WEF Delegation, highlighted the Kingdom’s unprecedented growth rates. He stressed the critical role that tourism has in building diversified and resilient economies, emphasizing that when Saudi Vision 2030 unlocked the travel and tourism sector, the Kingdom began building a holistic tourism experience based on international collaboration, best practices, and sustainable development.
As the WEF Annual Meeting concluded, His Excellency noted that the world was watching the remarkable resurgence of tourism, with the industry now fully recovered to pre-pandemic levels with 1.4 billion international arrivals in 2024.
“The world is counting on us to build a vibrant tourism ecosystem that meets growing demand while safeguarding our planet and quality of life. Tourism is more than an industry - it is a transformative force. We need to foster collective action to balance economic growth in the industry with social and environmental responsibility and ensuring the sector's resilience,” His Excellency said.
Throughout the forum, His Excellency led discussions as a key voice on official WEF panels including "Travel and Tourism’s Role in Building Trust” and "The Way We Will Travel”, focused on mobilizing diversified sector growth and enhancing global collaboration to propel the travel and tourism sector to keep up with growing demand, as well as a high-level session at Saudi House that explored “Scaling Sustainable Tourism: Connecting People and Places.”
He shared the stage with distinguished leaders, including Albania Prime Minister Edi Rama, European Commissioner for Transport and Tourism Apostolos Tzitzikostas, Switzerland Tourism CEO Martin Nydegger and Trip.com CEO Jane Sun who all shared His Excellency’s sentiment on the need for further global collaboration.
In alignment with Saudi Arabia’s forward-thinking tourism strategy, the Ministry launched a new investment guide, the "Hospitality Investor White Paper" during the WEF Annual Meeting. This initiative supports Vision 2030's ambitious targets, aiming to attract more than SAR 40 billion (USD 11 billion) in private investments, contribute SAR 16 billion (USD 4 billion) to the GDP, and create 1.6 million jobs by 2030.
Minister Al-Khateeb also contributed expert insights to the WEF’s "The Future of Travel and Tourism: Embracing Sustainable and Inclusive Growth” briefing paper highlighting the growing demand for sustainable travel and the importance of cross-sector collaboration and the need to ensure local communities globally benefit from the resulting growth.
As the WEF Annual Meeting concludes, Minister Al-Khateeb's participation underscores Saudi Arabia's transformative role in reshaping the global tourism landscape, reinforcing the Kingdom's vision to establish itself as a leading hub for sustainable travel.
*Source: AETOSWire
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250124536028/en/
Subscribe to releases from Business Wire
Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Latest releases from Business Wire
Andersen offentliggør regnskab for fjerde kvartal og helåret 202510.3.2026 19:52:00 CET | Pressemeddelelse
Andersen Group Inc. (NYSE: ANDG) ("Andersen"), en førende udbyder af uafhængig rådgivning inden for skat, vurdering og finans til private kunder og familiekontorer, virksomheder og fonde i USA, vil offentliggøre sine finansielle resultater for hele året og fjerde kvartal 2025 efter børslukketid tirsdag den 17. marts 2026. Andersens administrerende direktør og bestyrelsesformand, Mark L. Vorsatz, og Andersens økonomidirektør, Neal Livingston, vil afholde en telekonference for at fremlægge Andersens økonomiske resultater tirsdag den 17. marts 2026 kl. 17.00 ET. Deltagere kan følge webcasten på https://event.choruscall.com/mediaframe/webcast.html?webcastid=J3Hvslre. Et link til optagelsen af webcasten vil kunne findes på Andersens Investor Relations-webside på investor.andersen.com inden for et par timer efter begivenheden og vil være tilgængeligt på websiden i seks måneder. Om Andersen Andersen er en førende udbyder af uafhængig rådgivning inden for skat, vurdering og finans til private
Xtep-Sponsored Chinese Teenage Dancer Claims World Championship at Juste Debout Street Dance World Finals10.3.2026 19:46:00 CET | Press release
Xtep, a well-known sportswear brand from China, proudly announced that Xtep-sponsored Chinese teenage dancers delivered an electrifying performance at the Juste Debout Street Dance World Finals in Paris on Sunday, March 8, 2026, claiming top honors and showcasing a unique fusion of traditional Chinese culture with modern street dance. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260310519224/en/ Chinese Teens Dance to Glory at Juste Debout World Finals Li Yongqiu, a 14-year-old from Southwestern China’s Chongqing Municipality, made history by winning the Global Championship in the Junior Dance Tour, becoming the third Chinese dancer to achieve this feat. His explosive power and technical mastery, honed through years of training that integrates Kungfu elements, captivated judges and audiences alike. The Chinese contingent's success didn't stop there. Zhang Xinlan and Zhang Chuyi secured a Top 8 finish in the Popping Adult D
ATLAS Infrastructure Invests in H2O America, Backs Long-Term Growth Strategy10.3.2026 18:29:00 CET | Press release
ATLAS anchors H2O America’s equity raise and establishes new substantial shareholdingUpsized transaction highlights strong market support for H2O’s long-term strategy and sector leading growth outlookH2O’s organic growth fully equity funded into 20281 ATLAS Infrastructure (“ATLAS”) is a specialist Global Listed Infrastructure investor managing funds on behalf of long-term infrastructure clients. Following the recent equity placement, ATLAS’s actively managed accounts hold ~10.8% voting and economic interest in H2O America (“H2O”). ATLAS was pleased to support H2Os long‑term strategy to invest in local water and wastewater utility operations through our participation in the recent equity raise. ATLAS recognises the disciplined approach from H2O management which focuses on organic investment in existing businesses alongside targeted and accretive transactions such as the acquisition of Quadvest which materially expands H2O’s regulated water footprint in a premium high‑growth jurisdiction
TIXiMED Announces Promising Preclinical Data: Oral TIX100 Prevents Weight Regain After GLP-1 Cessation in Obesity Model10.3.2026 18:22:00 CET | Press release
TIX100 prevented weight regain in mice after semaglutide discontinuation Supports potential role as oral weight maintenance therapy following GLP-1 Receptor Agonist (GLP-1) treatment, addressing a major challenge in long-term obesity management TIXiMED, Inc., a clinical-stage pharmaceutical company developing a novel oral therapy targeting thioredoxin-interacting protein (TXNIP) for diabetes and metabolic disorders, is pleased to highlight new research by investigators at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Comprehensive Diabetes Center. The study demonstrates that its oral compound, TIX100, effectively prevents weight rebound following discontinuation of GLP-1 treatment in a mouse model of diet-induced obesity. In the study, mice treated with semaglutide experienced significant weight loss of over 13% body weight during a 2-week treatment period while continuing a high-fat diet. Upon discontinuation of semaglutide, untreated mice rapidly regained 14% of their body weight, mi
Svante and Integrated Packaging Company Advance U.S. Biogenic CDR Project to Feasibility10.3.2026 14:57:00 CET | Press release
The bioenergy with carbon capture (BECCS) project aims to remove more than 500,000 tonnes per year of biogenic CO2 emissions from a U.S. paper mill’s recovery boiler Svante Development Inc. is co-investing to advance the project The project will generate high-quality carbon dioxide removal (CDR) credits to market to Voluntary Carbon Market (VCM) buyers. Svante Technologies Inc. (“Svante”) announced today that its bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) project at a paper mill in the Southeast U.S. has progressed to the feasibility study phase. The project is being developed in partnership with an integrated sustainable packaging company, following an extensive screening and pre-feasibility study conducted across several of the partner’s mills. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260310319382/en/ During the feasibility study phase, the companies will complete further engineering and design activities, cos
In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.
Visit our pressroom