This year's Saudi Travel and Tourism Investment Forum, organized by the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities from March 29 to April 3, was distinguished by an intensive scientific program that included conferences and specialized morning events held separately from the exhibition, where 12 scientific sessions and forums were held in the Buraida Hall at the InterContinental Hotel in Riyadh, while the Riyadh International Exhibition Center witnessed the Saudi Travel and Tourism Investment Exhibition, scientific and training lectures and workshops.
Launching MAS applications
During his visit to the exhibition, HRH Prince Sultan bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, President of the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities, accompanied by HRH Prince Salman bin Sultan bin Salman, inaugurated the applications of the Tourism Information and Research Center (MAS) suitable for smart devices, and watched a presentation about the Nassif House in Jeddah using 3D technology.
His Royal Highness toured the pavilions of the exhibition, which includes a number of tourism development councils in the regions, local companies working in tourism and travel, hotel pavilions, government agencies" pavilions, and the pavilions of the Authority and its affiliated centers. His Highness met with officials of the sponsors of the forum, namely: Saudi Arabian Airlines, Anjum Makkah Hotel (strategic partner), Nas Air, Saudi Post Corporation, Elaf Group (silver sponsor), and Al Hokair Group (hotel hospitality sponsor). His Highness met with the directors of the General Authority for Tourism and Antiquities in the regions and some artisans.
26 lectures and workshops
Through the various events, 26 scientific and training lectures and workshops were organized on the sidelines of the exhibition through which the different experiences of countries and entities represented in the travel, tourism and hotel investment sides were presented, and the workshops touched on the utilization of modern technologies to develop tourism services and their surrounding environments, and the need to activate modern media and social networking sites to increase sales and communicate with customers.
Workshops addressed the need to activate modern media and social networking sites in increasing sales and communicating with customers.
The events concluded on Friday with a workshop on social media in tourism, and another workshop on the experiences of managing local e-booking websites in the Kingdom.
The workshops aimed to present new investment opportunities in the fields of tourism development, in addition to encouraging and stimulating new investment initiatives, and highlighting the Kingdom's abundant potential and investment opportunities in the tourism fields.
The workshops aimed to present new investment opportunities in the fields of tourism.
The events included: Tourism Investment and Finance, Business Tourism, Antiquities and Museums, Investment in Urban Heritage, Investment in the Tourism Entertainment Industry in the Kingdom, National Tourism Human Resources, and Specialized Tourism Accommodation.
Events included.
460,000 tourism jobs
In the session "National Tourism Resources: Challenges and Aspirations," Dr. Abdulkarim Al Nujaidi, Deputy Executive Director of the Human Resources Development Fund, stressed the Fund's endeavor to localize jobs in the tourism sector and indicated that the sector currently provides about 1,17,000 direct and indirect jobs, and that the demand in the next five years will reach 460,000 direct and indirect jobs. This is according to the executive strategy of the job localization program that aims to provide skills and talents to create distinctive jobs in this sector.
Attracting global operators
The Chief Operating Officer of the Technical and Vocational Training Corporation's Excellence Colleges, Dr. Mohammed Al-Majed, explained that the tourism and hospitality sector in the Kingdom suffers from the lack of national cadres in this sector, indicating that to remedy this, work was done to attract international operators and provide them with opportunities to communicate with the labor market directly and prepare appropriate programs, and improve existing colleges while linking technical and vocational training outputs to suit the outputs of international standards.
He pointed out that they have a plan in 2018 to reach 250 thousand training seats in tourism, indicating that in terms of supporting the tourism and hospitality sector, the College of Tourism and Hospitality was opened as a technical college, then the system of excellence colleges was launched in Riyadh, and the Ministry of Finance approved the establishment of 3 new colleges of tourism and hospitality whose projects will end after four years in Najran, Khamis Mushait and Al-Ahsa. Najran, Khamis Mushait and Al-Ahsa.
Meccan participation and Hijazi songs The Makkah Tourism Development Council pavilion attracted the attention and approval of visitors, led by the Egyptian Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Zahi Hawass, who toured the pavilion and received a detailed explanation from the Director General of the General Authority for Tourism and Antiquities in the Makkah region Mr. Mohammed Abdullah Al-Omari . This year's participation included linking the past to the present through the Makkah Alley, five-star hotels, and real estate developers. In addition to the participation of productive families, the pavilion included many companies with a Meccan character, the game of oboe and others, and the visitors enjoyed a lot of Hijazi songs that ignited the atmosphere with joy, which was presented by Wahib Basamad, and the hospitality included Zamzam water , which is one of the most prominent Meccan symbols.
Sharqiya showcases its investment opportunities The Eastern Province Pavilion carried the tourism and heritage identity of the Eastern Province, as it was designed inspired by the old Emirate Palace building (Saleh Islam Palace) with its unique architectural style. The Eastern Province Pavilion.
