OHK’s Managing Partner Ahmed Hassan was invited to be a speaker at the regional conference “Investing in Tourism for an Inclusive Future: Challenges and Opportunities”, jointly organized by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), and the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities of the Kingdom of Jordan and held in Petra and Aqaba, Jordan, on 26 and 27 October 2016.
The two-day conference aims to bring together tourism leaders from the public, banking, investment, and development sectors who are working in the SEMED region and are driving tourism development on national, regional, and global levels. Under the umbrella of the EBRD and UNWTO, the conference will facilitate dialogue among these key stakeholders and help identify challenges and best practices specific to the SEMED region. The dialogue will generate recommendations for tourism development within three priority areas: providing access to training and employment opportunities, enhancing resource and energy efficiency, and strengthening local small and medium enterprises.
Mr. Hassan will share his experience and knowledge in the conference’s plenary session on “Financing Inclusive and Sustainable Tourism,” which will be moderated by John Defterios, CNNMoney Emerging Markets Editor, and as part of a panel that includes Lina Mazhar Annab, Minister of Tourism and Antiquities of Jordan; Peter Norman, Senior Vice President for Acquisitions & Development, Hyatt; Khaled Sabih Al Masri, Chairman, Ayla Oasis Development Company; and Justin Reid, Head of Destinations - Europe, Middle East & Africa, TripAdvisor. The session will explore the role of financing institutions and investors in driving inclusive and sustainable tourism development and furthering best practices in public private partnerships.
For more information about OHK's work in sustainable and inclusive tourism development in the Middle East and across the globe, contact us.