The Metaverse Institute is honoured to join a meeting in Riyadh, capital of Saudi Arabia with representatives from UN Tourism Regional Office in the Middle East. Dr Christina Yan Zhang, CEO of The Metaverse Institute was invited to meet representatives from UN Tourism Regional Office in The Middle East to discuss collaborations opportunities.
Luis Nicolas Barrios Medina-Montoya Regional Manager UN Tourism met with Dr Christina Yan Zhang of The Metaverse Institute together with other UN Tourism Colleagues such as MD Khorshed Alam Senior Specialist – Innovation, Education & Investments, Peter Janetch, Coordinator, Deputy Director, as well as Megha Paul, Senior Communications Specialist.
About UN Tourism
▶is a specialised agency of the UN which promotes responsible, sustainable and universally-accessible tourism.
▶has 160 Member States
▶headquartered in Madrid, Spain
▶its middle east headquarter is in Riyadh, Capital of Saudi Arabia
About The Global Tourism Industry
▶contributes 9.1% Global GDPs in 2023
▶In the first seven months of 2024, 790 million tourists traveled internationally, 11% more than in 2023, though 4% less than in 2019.
▶Export revenues from international tourism reached $ 1.8 trillion in 2023, almost matching pre-pandemic levels
▶Tourism’s direct contribution to GDP recovered to pre-pandemic levels in 2023, reaching an $ 3.4 trillion
▶The Middle East remained the strongest-growing region, with international arrivals climbing 26% above 2019 levels.
About Saudi Arabia Tourism
▶ranked 12th by UN Tourism Barometre, 15 more places than before
▶welcomed 17.5 million international tourists in the first seven months of 2024, 73% increase compared to the same period in 2019.
▶International tourism revenue in Saudi Arabia surged by 207%.
▶achieved target of attracting 100 million tourists in 2023, seven years ahead of schedule.
