MADRID: A Saudi Ministry of Tourism delegation recently took part in the UN World Tourism Organization general assembly meeting held in Spain.

The UNWTO gathering, which takes place every two years, aimed to show the sector’s determination to lead tourism’s recovery from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, through innovation, education, and investment.

The organization, a specialized UN agency responsible for promoting the development of the tourism sector globally, staged its 24th general assembly session at the UNWTO’s headquarters in Madrid.

It was the first global tourism meeting since the virus outbreak, and delegates from more than 100 countries shared their achievements over the past two years in helping the sector get through the health crisis.

Saudi Minister of Tourism Ahmed Al-Khateeb, who headed the Kingdom’s delegation, said: “Despite its relatively recent presence in the international tourism arena, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia plays a major global role in this field.”

He noted that the country had great tourism ambitions and sought to make the sector one of the largest contributors to the economic transformation taking place in Saudi Arabia, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

One of the main achievements of the Saudi delegation during the meeting was the formation of a new working group to support the agency in increasing the transparency and effectiveness of its current and future work. The group will also assist in developing initiatives to help respond to the needs of member states, revitalizing the UNTWO for a better future for tourism.

Among Saudi Arabia’s recent achievements in the tourism sector was the opening of a UNWTO regional office in Riyadh, which will serve as a hub for the agency to coordinate policy and initiatives across its 13 member states in the region.