Members of the UN World Tourism Organisation’s Regional Commission for the Middle East have agreed to work on harmonised protocols to support the resumption of travel in the wake of the pandemic.
The 13 members of the commission met in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, one day after the tourism body opened its first regional office in the city.
The agenda for unified protocols will see the development of a common framework to reopen international borders; public health corridors between destinations; and the introduction of a common digital health solution for travellers.
There are also plans for an Iata-UNWTO destination tracker to monitor health data, regulations and movements across the region, which has 450 million inhabitants.
Zurab Pololikashvili, UNWTO secretary-general, said the agreement to work together “sets a standard of collaboration for other regions”.
“The more countries seek to follow an independent path out of the crisis, the longer it will take to rebuild the millions of livelihoods affected,” he warned.
“It is only through unity and collaboration across borders that we can move beyond these dark times and make the benefits of tourism available to the world once more.”