UN Tourism and The Ben enter groundbreaking partnership to boost global investment in tourism | News
UN Tourism and The Bench have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), marking the start of a strategic partnership to promote investments in tourism, innovation and education on a global scale.
The agreement was signed at a formal ceremony in Madrid by Shaikha Al Nuwais, Secretary General of UN Tourism, and Ali Shahid, CEO of The Bench. UN Tourism has been actively involved in The Bench events for many years, including FHS Saudi Arabia which took place in Riyadh last week, and this partnership is a natural next step to further enhance cooperation.
The partnership creates a framework for cooperation aimed at promoting the development of sustainable tourism, strengthening public-private partnerships, supporting entrepreneurship and startups, and creating new investment opportunities in global markets.
“Potential exists in every destination. But potential only becomes an opportunity when people choose to invest in it,” says Shaikha Al Nuwais. “Through this partnership, UN Tourism and The Bench will bring together the ideas, capital and partnerships needed to unlock tourism’s full contribution to economic growth, community development and long-term resilience.”
Through platforms such as The Bench’s Future Hospitality Summit series, the collaboration will explore the development of global tourism investment initiatives, high-level policy and investor dialogues, knowledge-sharing programs and innovation-focused activities designed to support the future growth of the tourism and hospitality sector.
Ali Shahid commented: “At The Bench, we believe that meaningful progress happens when governments, investors and industry leaders come together with a shared purpose. This partnership with UN Tourism represents an exciting opportunity to help drive innovation, facilitate investment and create long-term positive impact for the global tourism industry.”
The MoU outlines several strategic areas of cooperation, including the promotion of tourism investments, knowledge creation, innovation and support for startups, and the expansion of international engagement opportunities through joint forums and initiatives.
Among the first initiatives that will be explored as part of the agreed Strategic Action Plan are the development of a joint investment facilitation mechanism through curated formats for investor engagement within FHS events, the establishment of dedicated UN tourism investment and policy sessions during FHS events, and the development of a Global Tourism Investment Pipeline.
