The two-day event is slated to be held from September 28 to 29 and will host over 300 international and regional stakeholders from critical sectors, including governments, tourism agencies and investment institutions.

Dubai is set to host the mega tourism event MENA Attractions and Destinations Forum 2022 in September to explore upcoming cultural and leisure projects and ways to drive growth for the tourism sector. The event is aimed at supporting countries in the MENA region to strategise and implement new plans for reopening existing destinations and attractions in a safe and sustainable manner post-pandemic.

The two-day event, slated to be held from September 28 to 29, is to host over 300 international and regional stakeholders from key sectors, including governments, tourism agencies and consultancies, hotel chains, park owners and operators, museums, culture and heritage site authorities, technology and solution providers, and investment institutions.

With several global heritage and religious sites, modern attractions, and leisure destinations, over 50 million tourists visit the region annually. The MENA region has received a growing inflow of tourists driving growth in attractions and destinations. However, some key challenges still hinder the region from capitalising on the industry’s full potential, especially with the changing demographics, infrastructure, weather conditions, and technology developments.

The forum will also focus on developing and rebranding destinations that cater to a diverse population, converting heritage sites into new attractions to cater to different population segments and capitalising on live entertainment to increase visitors.

Osama Khlawee, AVP Tourism Sites and Destination Development Leader, said taking full account of its current and future economic, social, and environmental impacts and assuring proper management, as well as marketing, were significant for destinations to attract fresh investments, develop value-added jobs, recruit new talent, and boost innovation.

Richard Krent, Director for Development, Qiddiya, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia said destination development required intensity of creative artistry with a sense of joy that connected with its audience.

Participants will learn about museums and heritage site developments in the MENA region, how to drive innovations in theme parks and water parks and get familiar with projects related to extreme sports and theme parks.

The two-day event will feature a series of sessions by speakers from entities like the World Tourism Association, tourism ministries, cultural ministries and projects and entertainment project developers. Speakers will also talk about enhancing the visitor experience in the region’s destinations and the role of eco-tourism in sustainable development projects.

The two-day event is organised and promoted by GM Events, a Dubai-based multi-faceted event management company of international repute, having organised numerous successful forums and exhibitions for different industries across the MENA region.

Source: Arabian Business