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00:00 The region is affected by the geopolitical situation.
00:02 Although the Arab region has grown in the number of tourists,
00:07 and was perhaps the highest in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in 2023,
00:11 if there is stability, the number could be higher.
00:14 So the idea that the region is affected, yes, it is affected,
00:18 but of course there are countries that are more affected than others,
00:21 and there are countries whose economies are strong
00:24 and their ability to deal with crises more than other countries,
00:27 so their impact is less on them.
00:29 How do you see the impact on the Arab economy today,
00:34 and especially the banking sector,
00:36 in light of these security developments?
00:39 Do you expect this situation to continue,
00:42 with a crisis in food security,
00:45 a crisis in the tourism sector,
00:48 or other economic sectors?
00:50 Of course, the continuity of crises affects all sectors.
00:54 I can talk about tourism.
00:57 The indicators say that there were no tourists,
01:01 but of course the numbers could have been much better.
01:05 I am talking about the Arab region in general.
01:08 But there are two very important parts that I want to point out,
01:13 which are the ones that have a great impact.
01:15 The first part is tourism investment,
01:18 especially the incoming from abroad,
01:21 which is considered a direct foreign investment.
01:24 This requires a very broad perspective,
01:27 and tools, laws, regulations,
01:31 and a lot of encouragement,
01:33 in an unconventional way,
01:35 to establish itself in the Arab region.
01:37 The second part, and the one I find challenging,
01:39 is the addition of many advantages
01:42 from working in the tourism sector,
01:44 as a result of the fluctuations.
01:46 People say, "I don't want to work in the tourism sector,"
01:48 and then tomorrow they tell me,
01:50 "Take 50% of your salary,"
01:52 "we have to downsize, so we want you to leave,"
01:55 and so on.
01:56 In fact, the tourism industry, and maybe the airlines,
01:59 have lost a lot of their potential,
02:04 and have gone to other industries,
02:06 to establish themselves,
02:07 due to the sensitivity of the tourism sector.
02:10 How can we strengthen this Arab cooperation between countries,
02:15 to encourage tourism and invest in tourism?
02:19 This is a very important issue.
02:21 The Arab tourism sector could be the solution
02:24 to many crises,
02:26 because Arab countries understand each other better.
02:28 They don't respond to all the alerts,
02:31 or the warnings that come out in many countries,
02:35 that say, "Don't travel to this or that country."
02:37 Sometimes, this is exaggerated,
02:39 and doesn't express the reality of people's lives on the ground.