Tourism, recreation, hospitality, travel sectors capable of reducing deficit: Leaders Group
Monthly report on recent developments in Kuwait’s tourism sector
KUWAIT: Leaders Group Company for Consulting and Development, the representative of the World Tourism Organization (WTO) in Kuwait, issued its monthly report on recent developments in the tourism sector in Kuwait. Leaders Group General Manager Nabila Al-Anjari, stressed that innovative and unconventional economic policies can add new resources to states such as Kuwait only if governments utilize various sectors, resources and potentials wisely.
This month’s report stresses that tourism, recreation, hospitality and travel sectors are capable of reducing deficits as well as enhancing development during times of international or regional recession. The report also said that despite the crises the world has been witnessing, namely regional tensions, wars and terrorist attacks, 2017 reports on tourism showed highly positive results. It added that according to international reports, tourism in the Middle East rose by five percent compared to the previous year, while in North Africa it grew by 13 percent in the same period.
The report highlighted that crises might pave the way for creative ideas and new investments in tourism and other relevant sectors as they might affect domestic and international touristic destinations. The report added that this applies even to natural disaster-stricken countries to which special types of tourists flock, such as the case of floodstricken Thailand, Shanghai and Tokyo.
The report noted that the Indonesian island of Bali, where over 300,000 people were injured and 5,000 killed during the 2004 tsunami, was one of the most natural disaster-stricken touristic destinations in the world. It added that the island soon recovered and is still one of the most heavily visited destinations.
Moreover, the report said tourism revenues rose in Turkey during 2017 despite the tension and offensives taking place along its borders with Syria and Iraq, and despite the state of emergency the country has been experiencing since the 2016 coup attempt and European accusations that basic rights and freedom levels are deteriorating there.
The same applies to the Arab world that had been witnessing various terrorist, political, military and economic problems for a few years now, the report stressed. It elaborated that both Tunisia and Lebanon have been showing positive tourism-related indications. “Lebanon earned around $7 billion from tourism in 2015 despite its political problems, the two-year presidential vacuum, war on terror and the impact of the Syrian crisis.”
The report also said that WTO and the Syrian ministry of tourism launched a special campaign in January focusing on resuming tourism to Syria under the title ‘Syria Now’, announcing that three of the main Syrian destinations are ready to receive tourists.
Finally, the report underlined that tourism can help boost oil-dependent economies, such as the case of Kuwait, and protect them from the instability of international oil prices that have been affecting them since 2015. The report also stressed that tourism in Kuwait is no longer a fragile sector, that touristic investments have become less risky, that it is qualified to occupy a leading position in international touristic destinations and that it can still accommodate more touristic facilities that would turn it into a special touristic country.
Global reports show highly positive results