UAE, Israel sign MoU to bolster tourism, economic cooperation

The UAE and Israel signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to strengthen their tourism and economic cooperation and reinforce their bilateral ties.

The MoU was signed by Dr. Ahmed Belhoul Al Falasi, Minister of State of Entrepreneurship and SMEs and Chairman of the Emirates Tourism Council, and Yoel Razvozov, Israeli Minister of Tourism, who is currently visiting the UAE.

Dr. Al Falasi said the MoU signing took place under the framework of the Abraham Accords between the two countries and the efforts to boost economic cooperation and create partnerships in many areas.

The UAE has become a major global and regional centre and tourism destination as envisaged by its leadership. The country has successfully developed its tourism services and products to offer all types of tourism experiences, including business tourism, shopping tourism, conference tourism and adventure tourism, he added.

Razvozov said the MoU is a historic moment in Israel-Emirati relations and called on all Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries to follow the UAE, reinforce their ties with Israel and work together to establish a new reality in the region for prosperity, security and stability.

He then thanked the joint action teams who helped draft the MoU.

Under the MoU, both sides will implement policies to encourage and advance the tourism sectors of the two countries, boost the cooperation between their tourism organisations in the public and private sectors, and facilitate the exchange of tourism and travel information, including planned tourism events.

They will also intensify their technical cooperation in tourism education, vocational training, marketing and promotional activities, encourage participation in tourism events and exhibitions, especially the private sector, and hold joint regional events for travel agents and other tourism professionals.

Expo 2020 Dubai is an opportunity for the Israeli business community to benefit from promising economic partnerships between the two countries in critical sectors, most notably in tourism and vital projects.

The relations between the UAE and Israel have witnessed significant development since the signing of the Abraham Accords in September 2020. As per the latest figures, the trade between the two countries grew to $700 million within one year of signing the accord.

Meanwhile the UAE Space Agency, Israeli Ministry of Innovation, Science and Technology and the Israel Space Agency are inviting universities and research institutes in the UAE and Israel to submit joint research proposals based on data collected from the Israeli Vegetation and Environment Monitoring New Micro Satellite (VENµS), which monitors the environment and vegetation on earth.

This joint call for proposals is an outcome of the Memorandum of Understanding signed by the governments of UAE and Israel in October 2021, in Dubai.

The proposals will form part of the Environment Monitoring Joint Research Project, an earth observation programme that collects data using space-based remote sensing, which plays a crucial part in valuable scientific research about our planet. Using various sensors, the method enables monitoring and exploration of different phenomena and fosters better water resources monitoring, precision agriculture, vegetation exploration, land mapping and more.

The selected research project, which will receive $200,000 of funding from the UAE Space Agency and Israel Space Agency, will leverage big data analytics, informatics, and related techniques to expand humanity’s collective scientific knowledge about earth and how we can live more sustainably. Successful proposals will be selected by a joint UAE-Israel committee, who will choose one project to be funded.

“Global collaboration is key to leveraging space to protect our planet. By partnering alongside other leading nations in the space sector, we are contributing to expanding the global base of scientific knowledge to help humanity develop solutions to its greatest challenges,” said Sarah Bint Yousif Al Amiri, UAE Minister of State for Advanced Technology and Chairwoman of the UAE Space Agency.

“On the occasion of UAE Innovation Month 2022, we draw upon homegrown talent, by inviting local researchers to submit joint project proposals. In doing so, we are contributing to a more robust space economy and driving even greater collaboration in the space sector. We are also supporting global effort to leverage science and technology to solve environmental and climate challenges.”

Orit Farkash-Hacohen, Israel’s Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, said: “The important space cooperation between Israel and the UAE shows how technology connects nations. The VENµS satellite is helping find solutions to deal with climate change. The joint research will help advance shared issues between the UAE and Israel.”