Page 470 - MOET ENGLISH PR REPORT - OCTOBER 2025 (Part 1)

Dubai hosts UAE-Africa Tourism

Investment Summit

28th October 2025, 05:05 GMT+11

DUBAI, 27th October 2025 (WAM) -- Under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin
Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, the Ministry
of Economy and Tourism hosted the UAE-Africa Tourism Investment Summit 2025 today in Dubai.

The summit, held under the theme 'Building Bridges for Sustainable Growth,' witnessed extensive
participation from over 350 leaders, ministers, senior government officials, decision-makers,
investors, and entrepreneurs from the UAE and 53 African countries.

The summit, held as part of the Future Hospitality Summit (FHS World 2025) and in collaboration
with The Bench, was attended by Abdulla bin Touq Al Marri, Minister of Economy and Tourism and
Chairman of the Emirates Tourism Council; Marcio de Jesus Lopes Daniel, Minister of Tourism of
Angola; Amadou Ba, Minister of Culture, Crafts, and Tourism of Senegal; Rodney Sikumba, Minister
of Tourism and Arts of Zambia; Patricia de Lille, Minister of Tourism of South Africa; Hannatu Musa
Musawa, Minister of Art, Culture, Tourism, and Creative Economy of Nigeria; Siandou Fofana,
Minister of Tourism and Leisure of Cote d'Ivoire; Jose Luis Sa Nogueira, Minister of Tourism and
Transport of Cabo Verde; Shaikha Nasser Al Nowais, UN Tourism Secretary-General elect for the
term 2026-2029; Yomna Elbahar, Vice Minister of Tourism and Antiquities of Egypt; John Ololtuaa,
Principal Secretary of the Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife of Kenya; Jonathan Worsley, Chairman
and CEO of The Bench; along with a number of senior investors and global chief executives in the
tourism and hospitality sectors at regional and international levels.

In his opening speech at the summit, Abdulla bin Touq Al Marri said: "Guided by the wise vision of
our leadership - a vision that not only anticipates the future but also actively shapes it and achieves
its milestones - the UAE has positioned tourism as a bridge connecting peoples and cultures
around the world. It has become a key driver for attracting investment and entrepreneurs,
strengthening the growth and competitiveness of the national economy, and a source of pride
through its pioneering achievements across all its verticals, led by national talents who have earned
global trust to hold high-level positions."
Bin Touq added: "The UAE is an exceptional model for tourism development, marked by qualitative
leaps in its policies and tourism infrastructure, aligned with global best practices. These include the
adoption of pioneering national initiatives and strategies, pumping investments into various tourism
fields, building distinguished tourism projects across the country, in addition to opening new
airports, expanding the airline network in cooperation with strategic partners worldwide, enhancing
internal transport networks, and providing high-quality tourism services. This has all contributed to
cementing the UAE's status as a leading destination in today's global tourism landscape."
Summit: A new launchpad for strengthening UAE-Africa economic and tourism partnership

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