Dr. Taleb Rifai joins WTFI as new Secretary-General

Dhaka: World Tourism Forum Institute has appointed Dr. Taleb Rifai as the new Secretary-General.

The former Secretary-General of the World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) just accepted his new appointment at the London based research institute that supports sustainable, responsible, and universally accessible tourism.

In a report, the institute said it has been apparent that the hospitality business has been among the most seriously impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Yet the sector is not recovering – and the dismissals will certainly not stop flowing.

There are primary factors affecting the level of demand for nature and heritage tourism, namely; overall growth in tourism, growth in specialty travel, and increasing environmental awareness and concern. Each of these influences has a number of elements affected, the institute added in the report.

Tourism has become the most important economic activity for many countries, particularly as the biggest foreign exchange earner. It also illustrates the growing importance provided to recreation and leisure as a result of rising income levels around the world.

However, unlike many goods and services, tourism has no exact alternatives, which means that the market for holidays should grow rather than be searched for something else, the report read.

It may also be an issue to have political boundaries that separate states, metropolitan areas, or other natural market areas.

Tourism has become a major sector that has an impact on the country's economy's growth. Tourism's main benefits are revenue production and job creation. This is the most important source of healthcare for many regions and countries, urged WTFI, adding, the national economy's ability to benefit from tourism depends on the availability of investment to build the necessary infrastructure and its capacity to provide tourist needs.