UNWTO, Google host Tourism Acceleration Program in MENA
The United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) hosted the second edition of the global Tourism Acceleration Program in the MENA region.
The program, which comes in partnership with Google, designed to boost innovation and digital transformation in the tourism sector in each of the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt by providing key insights and market intelligence for effective tourism planning.
The Acceleration Programme is part of the close partnership between UNWTO and Google. The first edition was held virtually and hosted by South Africa last September in an effort to accelerate the power of tourism, and drive sustainable growth for millions across the world. Following editions of the program will be announced on the UNWTO’s website.
The event was online as well and was attended by UNWTO Member States’ tourism ministers, top travel associations, tourism boards and Destination Marketing Organizations from across the region.
Participants from Egypt included representatives from the Ministry of Tourism & Antiquities, Egypt Air, Memphis Tours and the Egyptian Tourism Promotion Board, and many others who gained first-hand access to UNWTO and Google’s insights of the tourism sector and developed new strategies for a more sustainable recovery.
“UNWTO is proud to partner with Google to bring the power of innovation and digital transformation to tourism across the Middle East region. The effective use of data can help destinations of all sizes grow their tourism sectors, while at the same time providing key insights into how tourism can be managed responsibly and inclusively, with sustainability as the driving force,” UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili said.
The event revealed that Google Search data shows that the top questions asked about the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Egypt are related to COVID-19 travel restrictions such as “is it safe to travel to Dubai right now?”, “is Mecca open for tourism?”, or “is Egypt on the quarantine list?”. Similarly, and on a global level, 45% of the top 100 questions related to travel also focused on the impact of COVID-19, the yearn to travel, and required safety measures.
