The Minister of Tourism, Mr. Ahmed Al-Khatib, confirmed that the Kingdom plans, as part of Vision 2030, to invest $810 billion in the tourism sector, to welcome 100 million international and domestic visitors, and to create one million new jobs in the tourism sector, noting that good progress has been made toward these goals. This announcement came as the Saudi delegation, led by him, concluded its participation in the 24th session of the General Assembly of the United Nations World Tourism Organization, following several achievements aimed at strengthening the Kingdom’s leading role in the field of tourism.
The Kingdom Hosts World Tourism Day
During the Saudi delegation’s participation, Ahmed Al-Khatib, Minister of Tourism, said, “Although the Kingdom is a relatively new player on the international tourism scene, it plays a major global role in this field,” emphasizing that the Kingdom has significant tourism ambitions and seeks to make this sector one of the largest contributors to economic transformation. The Minister of Tourism listed a number of achievements the Saudi delegation successfully accomplished during its recent participation in Madrid, stating, “This week, we achieved remarkable success and secured the support of a new working group to prepare tourism for the future, revitalize the World Tourism Organization, and ratify the establishment of the organization’s new regional office in Riyadh, recognizing Rijal Al-Ma’ar as one of the world’s best tourist villages, and World Tourism Day 2023 will be celebrated in the Kingdom.”
Global Media Praises Saudi Tourism
Meanwhile, on the sidelines of the General Assembly meeting, the Minister of Tourism met with leading Spanish media outlets and spoke to journalists about the Kingdom’s achievements and the vital role of tourism around the world at present, while the journalists expressed their support for the Kingdom’s efforts to strengthen the World Tourism Organization.
The Spanish newspaper Spanish newspaper “El Mundo” commented on the Kingdom’s recent moves within the World Tourism Organization, stating that Saudi Arabia has succeeded in achieving an unprecedented position in the organization’s General Assembly and praising Saudi efforts to develop the global tourism system.
Hilton Hotels in the Kingdom to Jump to 75
In this context, the Minister of Tourism met with Hilton Worldwide CEO Chris Nassetta to discuss the Hilton Worldwide Group’s presence in the Kingdom and its expansion plans to support Vision 2030, with Hilton Worldwide announcing its commitment to a 600 percent expansion in Saudi Arabia, growing from the current 15 hotels to 75 over the next five years, which will support the goals of “Vision 2030"and create more than 10,000 new jobs as part of this ambitious expansion across the Kingdom.
Expanding Options for Tourists
Minister Ahmed Al-Khatib said, ”Hilton’s commitment today to new hotels demonstrates their confidence in the progress and successes in Saudi Arabia as we continue to develop the tourism sector, and achieving the ambitious goal of welcoming 100 million visitors by 2030, while increasing tourism’s contribution to the Kingdom’s GDP from 3.5 percent to 10 percent."
He added, ”Working with world-leading hospitality and tourism companies such as Hilton aims to expand the range and variety of options available to tourists, which is a fundamental part of the Ministry’s plans, It is also part of our business philosophy to revitalize the tourism sector locally and globally through partnerships with the private sector, and today, by the grace of God, we are making significant progress in this regard."
Training in Tourism and Hospitality Skills
Statistics indicate that in the first half of the year, the tourism sector trained more than 14,860 Saudi men and women in new skills in the field of tourism and hospitality, and the Ministry is working to achieve the Kingdom’s plans by adding and developing 854,000 hotel rooms with 70% in funding from the private sector, The Kingdom issued more than 400,000 e-visas and briefly became the world’s fastest-growing tourist destination before the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.
