‘Thriving tourism industry key to increased revenue’
Kuwait could morph into hotbed for tourism: official
KUWAIT CITY, March 27, (KUNA): A robust tourism sector is needed to boost the country’s national income, Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs and Acting Minister of Information Sheikh Mohammad Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah said on Monday.
In a speech to open the inaugural forum on tourism and youth, the Acting Minister of Information said that the meeting will tackle issues germane to the tourism industry and youth contributions to sustained development.
Moreover, he spoke of ample employment opportunities the tourism sector has to offer, saying that the sector accounts for more than 12 percent of global employment.
On local efforts to prop up a sector that has become increasingly significant, Sheikh Mohammad Al-Mubarak noted that a sum of around $one billion has been allocated to fund tourism enterprises.
Meanwhile, he pointed out that the tourism industry has seen a resurgence in the Middle East and North African region after years of stagnation triggered by rampant conflict.
With the meteoric growth of information technology, Sheikh Mohammad AlMubarak drew a correlation between a solid youth support base and increased economic development. A bevy of tourism specialists have assembled for a forum that is the first of its kind in the country.
Kuwait possesses all of the attributes needed to become a major tourist destination, Undersecretary of the Ministry of State for Youth Affairs Sheikha Al-Zain Al-Sabah said on Monday.
In a speech to open the first forum on tourism and youth, Sheikha Al-Zain said that the ministry throws its weight behind all endeavors taken by the nation’s youth, a crucial segment that accounts for 72 percent of the population.
On the Arab League christening Kuwait the “Youth Capital 2017”, she said it is a testament to the fact that youth-related issues top the country’s priority list.
Meanwhile, Nabila AlAnjeri, the head of the forum’s organizing committee, said that the two-day event draws an evident correlation between the tourism industry and the youth, a social segment with a profound penchant for globetrotting. She also pointed out the need to issue legislations that would prop up the local tourism industry, adding that Kuwaitis have spent around $10 billion on foreign travel.