UNWTO’s Regional Office for the Middle East unveils plans of a new Knowledge Hub in Riyadh
and details of its Best Tourism Villages initiative
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Think rural, go global
Rural tourism can be a game changer for local economic growth and social change. It fights seasonality, prevents over-tourism and supports the economy at a grassroots level.
With sustainability as the main theme at this year’s Arabian Travel Market, we speak to one of the key panellists, Basmah Al Mayman, Regional Director for the Middle East, United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), about the importance of rural tourism, education and quality control in tourism.
“Under the leadership of the 2020 G20 Saudi Presidency, UNWTO and the G20 Tourism Working Group developed the AlUla Framework for Inclusive Community Development through Tourism and the G20 Tourism Ministers Meeting: Diriyah Communiqué, to help fulfil the sector’s potential to contribute to and achieve inclusive community development and the Sustainable Development Goals,” Al Mayman tells us.
To date, over 70 villages from almost 40 countries have been recognized as Best Tourism Villages. A further 40 - among which Fuwwah village from Egypt - have been selected to participate in the Upgrade Programme
– Basmah Al Mayman
“For this, a range of projects is being designed constantly to establish UNWTO’s Regional Office as a leader in tourism for rural development while also making the opportunities of tourism available to everyone through a range of education initiatives,” says Al Mayman.
Among the projects being managed by the Regional Office is the UNWTO Global Tourism and Rural Development Programme, which includes the World’s Best Tourism Villages Initiative (BTV).
“I am so happy, as the UNWTO Regional Director for the Middle East, that this UNWTO international initiative was launched from the Regional Commission of Middle East in 2021 at its 47th meeting held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia in the newly opened UNWTO Regional Office for the Middle East.
“Although being one of the decisions taken by the Middle East Tourism Ministers, the idea is to have it as part of the organization’s work to make tourism a pillar of growth and opportunity for rural communities all over the world, and a global initiative to highlight those villages where tourism preserves cultures and traditions, celebrates diversity, provides opportunities and safeguards biodiversity.”
Every year, BTV by UNWTO recognizes destinations which stand out for their commitment to sustainability in all its aspects – economic, social and environmental – and the preservation and promotion of community-based values. Tourism importance for rural development was the message at the heart of the BTV Ceremony, held on March 12 of this year, in AlUla, Saudi Arabia.
“To date, over 70 villages from almost 40 countries have been recognized as Best Tourism Villages. A further 40 – among which Fuwwah village from Egypt – have been selected to participate in the Upgrade Programme where they benefit from expert mentorship and networking opportunities.”
On 23 March 2023, UNWTO has opened applications for the third edition of its Best Tourism Villages initiative.
“Alongside the ceremony itself, the First Annual Meeting of the Best Tourism Villages Network, held in AlUla in the same period was also a platform for sharing knowledge, experiences, challenges and opportunities between the participating villages.
“Rural tourism has a high potential to stimulate local economic growth and social change because of its complementarity with other economic activities, its contribution to GDP and job creation, and its capacity to promote the dispersal of demand in time (fight seasonality) and along a wider territory.
“For rural communities everywhere, and especially in the Middle East region, tourism is a hugely powerful force for growth and opportunity,” Al Mayman says.
In line with UNWTO’s wider commitment to advancing tourism for climate action, plans are in place to make the UNWTO Regional Office for the Middle East a hub for promoting green investments in the tourism sector, both in the region and worldwide, including through projects developed in partnership with the International Finance Corporation, and other partners such as the Saudi Tourism Development Fund – responding to the UNWTO climate action framework, outlined in the Glasgow Declaration.
“This year, UNWTO reiterates its commitment to guiding tourism based on education and innovation and creating more added-value jobs in tourism through education.
“To this end, a new UNWTO Knowledge Lab will be launched from Riyadh, while a first Observatory on Quality of Tourism Education and Jobs will also be established to monitor the advancement of the strategy.
“To ensure the benefits of tourism education are enjoyed as widely as possible, 10 new online courses are made available in Arabic through the UNWTO Tourism Online Academy, and UNWTO is also working with higher education providers from the region through the new Tourism Faculty Development Programme.”
“In line with UNWTO’s wider commitment to advancing tourism for climate action, plans are in place to make the UNWTO Regional Office for the Middle East a hub for promoting green investments in the tourism sector, both in the region and worldwide, including through projects developed in partnership with the International Finance Corporation, and other partners such as the Saudi Tourism Development Fund – responding to the UNWTO climate action framework, outlined in the Glasgow Declaration,” Al Mayman tells TTN.
“This year, UNWTO reiterates its commitment to guiding tourism based on education and innovation and creating more added-value jobs in tourism through education.
“To this end, a new UNWTO Knowledge Lab will be launched from Riyadh, while a first Observatory on Quality of Tourism Education and Jobs will also be established to monitor the advancement of the strategy.
“To ensure the benefits of tourism education are enjoyed as widely as possible, 10 new online courses are made available in Arabic through the UNWTO Tourism Online Academy, and UNWTO is also working with higher education providers from the region through the new Tourism Faculty Development Programme.”
The UNWTO Regional Office for the Middle East, which opened in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in May 2021, constitutes an integral part of the organization, and it aims at establishing tourism as a driver of growth, opportunity and development through rural tourism, education and tourism human capital development.
– Join TTN’s panel on Rural Tourism: Taking Tourists Off-The-Beaten Track, taking place at ATM’s Sustainability Hub on day 4