The Arab Ministerial Council for Tourism held an extraordinary virtual meeting today under the chairmanship of Minister of Tourism Ahmed bin Aqeel Al-Khatib of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The meeting aims at discussing the challenges facing the tourism sector in the region as a result of Coronavirus pandemic. Al-Khatib said that the Arab Ministerial Council for Tourism holds this meeting in exceptional circumstances to discuss ways to revitalize the tourism sector following the Coronavirus pandemic, pointing out that the Saudi Government has initiated a financial stimulus package with a total value of more than $61 billion to protect jobs and businesses, and reduce the economic burden of the crisis. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia provided free health care for all people who suffered from symptoms of Coronavirus, regardless of their nationalities or the status of their visas. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia took flexible measures to assist those who planned to visit the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia before the crisis by extending their tourist visas, Al-Khatib added. Al-Khatib pointed out that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was at the forefront of countries that have worked with regional and international organizations to confront the crisis by providing $500 million for the World Health Organization to support international efforts that aim at preventing the spread of Coronavirus. The Minister of Tourism also said that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, through its chairmanship of the G-20, sought to enhance international efforts to support the tourism sector. In this context, an extraordinary meeting of the G20 tourism ministers was held under the presidency of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to discuss the negative effects experienced by the tourism sector as a result of the crisis.
