Page 55 - MOET ENGLISH PR REPORT - OCTOBER 2025 (Part 1)

Press Release

UAE–Africa Tourism Investment Summit highlights tourism’s role

as key driver of economic transformation and calls to reposition
Africa as a new global sustainable tourism brand

Participants emphasize the importance of joint action at the public and private
sector levels to expand GCC-African partnerships in the aviation sector

Abu Dhabi, 28 October 2025:

The ‘UAE–Africa Tourism Investment Summit 2025’, hosted by the Ministry of Economy and
Tourism in Dubai as part of the Future Hospitality Summit (FHS World), convened a series of
panel sessions and presentations that explored the future of tourism in Africa and ways to develop
tourism and investment collaboration between the UAE and African nations. The sessions
contributed to strengthening economic integration in the continent by forging quality partnerships
in tourism, hospitality, tourism infrastructure, tourism project financing and innovation.

The sessions brought together a distinguished group of speakers including African and
international ministers, officials and business leaders in tourism and investment fields. The
Summit served as an ideal platform to share insights and expertise on accelerating Africa’s tourism
transformation, developing new public-private partnership models, boosting investment in
infrastructure, stimulating innovation in hospitality and travel services, and building sustainable
tourism ecosystems capable of supporting economic growth and job creation.

Shaikha Al Nowais highlights the future vision for advancing Africa’s tourism industry

During the summit, Her Excellency Shaikha Nasser Al Nowais, UN Tourism Secretary-
General elect for the term 2026–2029, delivered a presentation titled ‘The Future of African
Tourism’, in which she outlined a comprehensive development vision for driving Africa’s tourism
sector forward. Her presentation focused on four key pillars that can serve as the continent’s
growth foundations: enhancing connectivity between African nations through the development of
transportation infrastructure, building human capacity and empowering local communities,
stimulating sustainable investment in tourism-supporting sectors, and implementing promotional
campaigns that showcase Africa’s cultural and natural diversity.

Her Excellency underscored that these pillars constitute a strategic roadmap for driving a
transformative shift in African tourism - highlighting the critical role of empowering youth and
women in tourism activities, enhancing the visitor experience through innovation and digital
technologies, and positioning Africa’s cultural and heritage values as key attractions. She
emphasized that strong public-private partnerships are vital to translating this vision into tangible
outcomes that foster sustainable development and open up new avenues for international
collaboration.