Saudi Arabia: Saudi Arabia and Greece on Sunday signed a cooperation agreement on sustainable coastal and marine tourism.

It was signed by the Kingdom’s Tourism Minister Ahmed Al-Khateeb and Greek Tourism Minister Harry Theoharis on the sidelines of the Conference on Coastal and Maritime Tourism in Athens.

Both sides affirmed their commitment to the sustainable development of coastal and marine tourism in their countries, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

The agreement involves exchanging knowledge and best practice in investment, human capital development, training, event organization, and marketing and promotion to support sustainable coastal and marine tourism.

“This is a positive step taken by Saudi Arabia and Greece, and it is one of the fruits of international cooperation that will achieve a more sustainable future for tourism and lead to addressing the repercussions of the coronavirus pandemic on the global tourism sector,” said Al-Khateeb.

He added that the Kingdom was committed to protecting its marine and coastal environment and supporting the sustainable development of the country’s booming tourism sector through its projects.

“Sustainability is a vital aspect of tourism’s future,” Al-Khateeb tweeted after the meeting, adding that he and Theoharis had agreed to share knowledge and best practices to develop sustainable coastal and maritime tourism in the two countries. He thanked Theoharis for his partnership.

Theoharis said that coastal and marine tourism was the “backbone” of his country’s tourism offering, therefore protecting ecosystems was among its priorities. 

He added that he was looking forward to cooperating with the Kingdom.