Page 48 - MOET ENGLISH PR REPORT - OCTOBER 2025 (Part 1)

Press Release

H.E. Bin Touq meets with tourism ministers of South Africa,

Zambia, and Albania to strengthen cooperation and explore

opportunities across various tourism sectors

Meetings held on the sidelines of the UAE–Africa Tourism Investment

Summit held in Dubai

Abu Dhabi, 29 October 2025:

H.E. Abdulla bin Touq Al Marri, Minister of Economy and Tourism and Chairman of the
Emirates Tourism Council, held three separate meetings with Her Excellency Patricia de
Lille, Minister of Tourism of South Africa; His Excellency Rodney Sikumba, Minister of
Tourism of Zambia; and His Excellency Blendi Gonxhja, Minister of Tourism, Culture and
Sports of Albania.

The meetings were aimed at enhancing opportunities for cooperation across various
tourism sectors and exchanging expertise and best practices in the field of sustainable
tourism.

The meetings took place on the sidelines of the UAE–Africa Tourism Investment Summit
2025, held in Dubai 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
summit, organized under the theme “Building Bridges for Sustainable Growth”, witnessed
extensive participation, bringing together more than 350 leaders, ministers, senior
government officials, and decision-makers, in addition to investors and entrepreneurs from
the UAE and 53 African countries.

During the meetings, His Excellency Bin Touq presented the “UAE National Tourism
Strategy 2031” and highlighted its pivotal role in reinforcing the sustainability and
competitiveness of the country’s tourism sector over the coming decade. He explained the
strategy’s ambitious national targets, which include positioning the UAE as the world’s
leading tourism destination, increasing the sector’s contribution to the national GDP to
AED 450 billion, attracting AED 100 billion in new tourism investments across domestic
markets, and welcoming 40 million hotel guests.

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