The Arab League hosted a roundtable in Cairo on the challenges and opportunities facing digital and rural tourism entrepreneurship, bringing together government officials, startups, investors, universities, innovation centers and regional organisations.
The event was held as part of the RTED Arabs programme, implemented by the Arab Academy for Science, Technology and Maritime Transport in partnership with the Arab Tourism Organization and the Arab Organization for Agricultural Development. The programme is supported by the Aid for Trade Initiative for the Arab States (AFTIAS), affiliated with the Islamic Trade Finance Corporation.
Discussions focused on the role of technology and innovation in developing tourism products and services, as well as improving access to finance and markets, building skills and strengthening cooperation between public and private-sector stakeholders.
Participants also explored practical measures to support startups and entrepreneurs working in rural and digital tourism. The programme aims to advance entrepreneurship, innovation and digitalisation in tourism through capacity building, incubation programmes, competitions and ecosystem development.
The Cairo meeting is the first in a planned series of ecosystem-focused sessions. Similar meetings are expected to take place in Saudi Arabia, Sudan and the Comoros, with the goal of developing recommendations for the participating Arab countries.
Source: Al Alam El Youm
