Dr. Dina El-Zaher, director of the Transport and Tourism Department at the League of Arab States, stressed that the Middle East recorded an increase in tourism rates in 2018, evidence of the recovery of tourism in the Arab region after the crisis that has hit it since 2011, and that the sector must therefore keep pace with the international community and be developed in line with this recovery.
Speaking at the Accessible Tourism Forum in the Arab Region, held in Cairo today, she added that accessible tourism, which caters to people with special needs, the elderly and children, is one of the types of tourism linked to sustainable tourism. She said 15% of the Arab region's population belong to this segment, and therefore tourism companies must prepare special programs for them, build cadres capable of working with them and establish infrastructure in line with this type of tourism.
She noted that in 2005 the UNWTO recognized this type of tourism, and a special organization for it was established in 2006, headquartered in Belgium, with 41 member countries, including 3 Arab countries.
