Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed , Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation. “If you are a hit in one sector like tourism, you are not much of a big hit. It’s very important to have a diverse economy. If we were based only on tourism that would have been a big problem for us,” Mr Bartolo said, speaking of the effect the coronavirus pandemic had on the sector, which contributes 17 per cent of the island’s GDP. “We are keen on partnering with wealthy nations with strong economies like the UAE,” said Mr Bartolo, commenting on how Abu Dhabi is keen on framing its economic growth around a sustainable, non-oil industrial structure.