Al-Dheeb emphasizes the role of the private sector in achieving tourism development.
High operating, maintenance, and staff training costs are the main obstacles to the development of hotel apartments.
Mr. Ahmed bin Hamoud Al-Dhaib, General Manager of Madarim Crown Hotel, affirmed that the role of the private sector complements the governmental role in providing the necessary infrastructure facilities for tourism development. He explained that the private sector owns many companies and institutions operating directly or indirectly in the tourism industry, and contributes to absorbing an important percentage of the national workforce from the people of the Kingdom, and to developing human resources, developing their capabilities, and improving the conditions and circumstances of the work environment in coordination and cooperation with the relevant authorities in the country.
A major economic pillar
This came in a special interview he gave to the "Amlak Real Estate" newspaper about investment in the tourism real estate sector and related real estate, where he explained that the accommodation sector depends entirely on the tourism sector, pointing out that tourism investment is one of the most important pillars of the economies of major countries, as it contributes to supporting and developing the economy in general, and from here the importance of investment in this sector emerged.
A strategy to attract tourism investment
Al-Dhaib stressed the importance of developing a national strategy concerned with attracting tourism investment and supervising its implementation, and cooperating with relevant external bodies such as ( the Ministry of Commerce , the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Investment , and the Chambers of Commerce and Industry) to support investors, in order to keep pace with the renaissance that the Kingdom is witnessing. He called for more attention to global quality standards for the sector and to include them in the comprehensive plan for developing tourist sites based on the general strategy for developing national tourism.
Tourism boosted the activity of accommodation providers.
Regarding the feasibility of investing in the tourist accommodation sector, Al-Dhaib explained that the increase in tourism activity in the Kingdom stimulates investment in accommodation, and this certainly leads to raising employment rates and increasing the profits of projects invested in it, stressing that the Kingdom has achieved many accomplishments in the field of tourism, as it has become attractive to large numbers of tourists and visitors from within the Kingdom and from the Gulf Cooperation Council countries.
Al-Dhaib explained that the high cost of operating and maintaining serviced apartments, and training the human resources working in them, represents an obstacle to the development of this sector, compared to the low level of income in them, especially in dire circumstances such as the Corona pandemic.
An important role for the private sector
In closing, the General Manager of Madarim Crown Hotel called for strengthening investment efforts in domestic tourism by developing a competitive tourism industry through the development and preservation of tourist and archaeological sites and facilities, and the establishment of a tourism information database using geographic information technologies. He stressed the need to raise citizens' awareness of the importance of tourism as a tool for investing in the country's cultural, historical, and heritage resources. Herein lies the role of the private sector in achieving balanced tourism development in the Kingdom, as it possesses efficient management and extensive experience in investment fields, enabling it to provide tourism goods and services at competitive prices, in addition to having a huge capital that enables it to invest in the tourism sector.
Key incentives needed to attract investment to the tourism sector
- Developing and preserving tourist and archaeological sites and facilities.
- Expanding the scope of public and private investments and tourism activities to include various regions of the Kingdom in order to increase job opportunities in the regions.
- Enhancing the role of tourism in supporting opportunities for interaction between the Kingdom and other countries.
- Focusing on diversifying tourist sites such as heritage hotels, eco-lodges and rural rest areas, timeshare facilities, amusement parks, diving centers, organizing tourist trips, events and festivals, in addition to investing in traditional crafts and industries, tourist transport, and tourist guide services.
- Increase incentives for investors in the tourism sector and facilitate government and bank lending programs to support investors in this field.
