Visa facilitation, open skies and the need to adapt the market requirements in the promotion of intra-regional tourism in the MENA region were all discussed at the 2015 UNWTO and ATM Ministerial Forum on Intra-Arab tourism.

The joint UNWTO/ATM initiative, held under the patronage of H.H. Sheikh Nahyan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Culture, Youth and Social Development and Chairman of the National Council of Tourism and Antiquities of the United Arab Emirates, addressed the challenges faced in the region and the opportunities available.

“We can all benefit from a common strategy, an Arab tourism strategy, and the United Arab Emirates are committed to support such a strategy,” he said.

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International tourism to the Middle East grew by 5 percent last year, after three years of consecutive decline. “These are very encouraging results and show that tourism in the region continues to progress despite its many challenges,” said UNWTO Secretary-General, Taleb Rifai.

The areas of opportunity highlighted by participants at the event included visa facilitation and easier land border crossings through enhanced use of technology, growing youth and cruise markets and the development of thematic routes.

Participants also highlighted the importance of the domestic market, and the need to increase the focus on domestic air services. Large events such as sporting events hope to change the international image of the region, and implement new measures such as the visa facilitation.

The Arab market can play a significant role in progressing tourism in the Middle East, as it tends to spend more and stay longer. The forum also addressed the challenges that remain in the region, including the lack of air lift and open skies policies which make air travel within the region comparatively expensive.

According to the participants of the forum, it is important to increase knowledge of the Arab tourism market and adjust product development accordingly. There are important opportunities for Middle Eastern countries to work together as a multi-destination to attract tourists from other regions of the world.

Globally, around 80 percent of the world’s 1.1 billion international tourists travel within their own region. However, only 42 percent of international tourist arrivals to the Middle East originate in other countries in the region, despite the growth of international tourism in the Middle East over the last two decades and the increasing level of outbound travel from MENA to other world regions.