BAGHDAD — Iraq’s Ministry of Culture plans to establish an Arab Observatory for Sustainable Tourism to track performance indicators and align them with economic, social and environmental goals under the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda.
Ali Yassin Abdul Reda, spokesperson for the Tourism Authority, told state newspaper Al-Sabah the observatory will “follow up on tourism performance indicators and connect them with economic, social and environmental dimensions, in harmony with the Sustainable Development Goals 2030.”
He said the authority is also preparing to launch a digital tourism platform to provide real-time data for policymakers, investors and businesses, and will introduce an annual award for best practices in developing tourism statistics, aimed at fostering competition and innovation.
The announcement follows the Arab Tourism Organization’s decision to name Baghdad the Arab Tourism Capital for 2025, a designation Iraqi officials welcomed as a boost to the country’s tourism potential.
Abdul Reda called the observatory “a roadmap toward building an integrated Arab tourism statistical system that contributes to supporting sustainable development efforts,” and said recommendations from the recent Arab Forum on Tourism Statistics emphasized cooperation with the private sector, which “is the biggest beneficiary of accuracy and transparency in numbers.”
He said Baghdad’s selection “will be a new starting point toward a brighter future for the tourism sector in the region,” and that the authority is working to issue annual reports on tourism performance in Arab countries, based on “accurate and reliable data.”
The authority also plans to support the digital transition in tourism statistics through automation, data-sharing systems and unified classifications consistent with international standards.
Source: https://en.964media.com/40677/
