The Jeddah Tourism and Entertainment Forum recently kicked off in Jeddah, with His Excellency Dr. Hani bin Muhammad Abu Ras, Governor of Jeddah, presiding over the event. The ceremony was attended by His Highness Prince Abdullah bin Saud bin Muhammad, Chairman of the Tourism and Entertainment Committee at the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce, as well as officials from the tourism and entertainment sector. The ceremony was held under the patronage of His Royal Highness Prince Khalid Al-Faisal, Advisor to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and Governor of the Makkah Region.
Building local partnerships to develop this sector
His Excellency the Governor of Jeddah toured the exhibition accompanying the forum, which showcases the future of tourism and entertainment in the Jeddah Governorate and highlights its tourism potential, The forum’s events are being held in the presence of representatives and stakeholders from the General Authority for Tourism and National Heritage, the General Authority for Entertainment, and the academic partners King Abdulaziz University and the University of Jeddah, The forum will run from October 9 to 11 at the Hilton Hotel’s conference hall.
The forum is considered one of the most important economic and tourism forums in the Gulf region. In its current inaugural edition, the forum features the participation of a select group of business leaders in the fields of tourism and entertainment in the Kingdom, It highlights the importance of building local partnerships to develop this vital sector through presentations by experts, specialists, and young entrepreneurs, as well as the importance of a holistic approach encompassing various economic fields linked to the Kingdom’s Vision 2030, and its economic and social strategy.
Experiences in Privatization and Partnerships with the Private Sector
Prince Abdullah bin Saud, Chairman of the Tourism Committee and Chairman of the Forum, revealed the most prominent challenges facing the tourism and entertainment sector in the «Bride of the Red Sea» during the tourism event, through eight academic sessions and a number of workshops. These sessions will showcase local experiences in privatization and public-private partnerships that contribute to further initiatives and ideas in the tourism industry as a development resource that promotes reliance on alternatives to oil, in line with the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 and the national transformation in the tourism sector to elevate this Saudi sector to global prominence.
He emphasized the strategic partnership at the forum with the General Authority for Tourism and National Heritage, the General Entertainment Authority, the Jeddah Municipality, and relevant entities to develop the tourism and entertainment industry in the Kingdom, expressing hope that this largest gathering of tourism and entertainment experts will play a role in drawing attention to Saudi tourism products, which have recently developed remarkably, amid expectations that more than one million job opportunities will be created across the tourism and entertainment sector over the next five years.
The Al-Faisaliah Project: A Quantum Leap
He noted that the organization of the first edition of the forum coincides with the announcement by the Deputy Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, Prince Mohammed bin Salman, of the launch of the “Red Sea” project, which will feature exceptional tourist resorts on more than 50 natural islands in collaboration with the world’s leading hospitality and hotel companies as a global tourism project, alongside the launch of the Al-Faisaliah project, which the Kingdom’s tourism sector will witness during this prosperous era under the reign of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz, representing a significant developmental leap in the nation’s journey toward economic diversification and the strengthening of partnerships with the private sector in this vital and important field.
