RIYADH: Tourism has a vital role in sustainability, said Saudi Vice Minister of Tourism Princess Haifa bint Mohammed Al-Saud.
Speaking at the Saudi Green Initiative forum in Egypt, she explained that although today tourism represents only 8 percent of greenhouse gas emissions, the sector is growing.
“The number of travelers is expected to double by 2030, which only means that the environmental impact is growing further,” she added.
The Princess spoke about Saudi Arabia’s tourism sector and said that action must be taken in the 10 destinations being developed across 13 different regions.
“Not only by preserving and maintaining the destinations we are developing, but also taking it a step further and creating regenerative tourism,” Princess Haifa explained.
On the Kingdom’s efforts in this regard, the vice minister said, “we are taking data-led actions, not just theoretical options.”
She explained that Saudi Arabia had completed the first-of-its-kind methodology to define sustainability in tourism with a clear baseline.
“We have taken action in Saudi Arabia, and although it is important that we are acting locally, we maintain our commitment to the global community,” she said.
This approach is evident in the Sustainable Tourism Global Center, an initiative Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman launched at the UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow, also known as COP26, last year.
The STGC aims to reduce the tourism sector’s estimated 8 percent contribution to global greenhouse gases and move toward net-zero emissions.
This year at COP27, the Kingdom has announced through the STGC the launch of the tourism panel for climate change, Princess Haifa added.
She said that most destinations in Saudi Arabia have announced that they have surpassed their 2019 numbers in terms of visitors.