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Saudi Tourism Minister: Kingdom to Provide 250,000 Jobs while Hosting Expo 2030

In a session entitled "Accelerated Progress in the Labor Market" at the Global Labor Market Conference, Al-Khateeb referred to the inauguration of the National Tourism Strategy in 2019. SPA
In a session entitled "Accelerated Progress in the Labor Market" at the Global Labor Market Conference, Al-Khateeb referred to the inauguration of the National Tourism Strategy in 2019. SPA
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Saudi Tourism Minister: Kingdom to Provide 250,000 Jobs while Hosting Expo 2030

In a session entitled "Accelerated Progress in the Labor Market" at the Global Labor Market Conference, Al-Khateeb referred to the inauguration of the National Tourism Strategy in 2019. SPA
In a session entitled "Accelerated Progress in the Labor Market" at the Global Labor Market Conference, Al-Khateeb referred to the inauguration of the National Tourism Strategy in 2019. SPA

Saudi Minister of Tourism Ahmed Al-Khateeb said Thursday the Kingdom will provide 250,000 jobs during its hosting of the Expo 2030 in Riyadh.

He stressed the importance of sustainable jobs that the Kingdom will provide, including 1,000 hotel rooms on the sidelines of the exhibition.

In a session entitled "Accelerated Progress in the Labor Market" at the Global Labor Market Conference, Al-Khateeb referred to the inauguration of the National Tourism Strategy in 2019, which will take the domestic product in this sector from 3% to 10% in 2030, which requires providing one million additional jobs by 2030.

The minister referred to the Kingdom's chairmanship of the Executive Council of the United Nations World Tourism Organization and its hosting of the forthcoming General Assembly of the council under three priorities: the sustainability of the planet and the environment; the assurance of suitable jobs for human beings, tourism growth, travel and double the number of services; and the importance of maintaining place in any tourist destination.

He explained that the world's population will reach 8.5 billion by 2030, noting that there is a digitization process for many services, including the labor market, especially in terms of trade and manufacturing that have been digitized since decades, which has had a negative impact on the labor market.

Al-Khateeb added that the travel and tourism sector represented 10% of the global labor market, and provided 330 million jobs in 2019 before the pandemic, and that airlines and hotels were the most affected sectors globally by losing 60 million jobs, saying: "We are back in the pre-pandemic according to figures by the United Nations World Tourism Organization, and the World Travel and Tourism Council, which is good."

He noted that the tourism sector globally provides 10% of jobs in the labor market, so it is an important sector for growth in the future, stressing the importance of maintaining the human component of the tourism sector as it plays an essential and central role in sharing the cultures from different countries that we travel to.

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flynas Announces Record-Breaking First-Half 2024 Results with 47% Passenger Growth

flynas welcomed more than 7 million passengers on board its flights in the first half of 2024. (SPA)
flynas welcomed more than 7 million passengers on board its flights in the first half of 2024. (SPA)
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flynas Announces Record-Breaking First-Half 2024 Results with 47% Passenger Growth

flynas welcomed more than 7 million passengers on board its flights in the first half of 2024. (SPA)
flynas welcomed more than 7 million passengers on board its flights in the first half of 2024. (SPA)

Saudi Arabia’s flynas, the leading low-cost airline in the world and the best LCC in the Middle East, welcomed more than 7 million passengers on board its flights in the first half of 2024.

This marks a 47% growth and 37% increase in seat capacity for domestic and international flights during the first half of 2024, compared with the same period of 2023, days after announcing the landmark purchase of 160 Airbus Aircraft, said flynas in a statement.

Bander Almohanna, CEO and Managing Director of flynas, commented: “Our record performance during the first half of 2024 is driven by our strategic growth plans as we continue to upgrade our fleet, increase capacity, and expand our global network.”

“The strategy, ‘We Connect the World to the Kingdom’, is aligned with the objectives of the National Civil Aviation Strategy to enable national air carriers to connect the Kingdom with 250 International destinations, accommodate 330 million passengers, and to host 100 million tourists annually by 2030,” he remarked.

“Our strategy will also play a key part in driving the objectives of the Pilgrims Experience Program (PEP) to facilitate access to the Two Holy Mosques, successfully transporting more than 100,000 pilgrims from 20 countries in the first half of the year.” Almohanna added

He stated that increasing seat capacity to domestic summer destinations confirms flynas’ commitment to promoting its role as a national carrier in supporting and empowering the tourism sector in the Kingdom and achieving its ambitious goals set by the Saudi Vision 2030 in cooperation and integration with the relevant authorities in the tourism and aviation sectors.

In terms of international flights, it increased its presence in key domestic, regional, and international markets, including partnerships with other airlines to expand its network.

“flynas has taken delivery of 6 A320neo aircraft during 2024, which reinforced our operations, created hundreds of new jobs for Saudis and opened applications for a new batch to the Future Pilots program, aiming to nationalize the co-pilot position in flynas by 100%,” Almohanna said.

“Additionally, our Future Engineers Program has accepted 22 Saudis into its second batch at the beginning of this year, contributing to nationalizing the roles in aircraft engineering and maintenance,” he added.

flynas operates more than 1,800 weekly flights to more than 70 domestic and international destinations and has flown more than 78 million passengers since its launch in 2007.

The expansion of the leading low-cost carrier’s fleet with 25 new A320neo aircraft over the last 18 months marks a significant milestone in the aviation industry. This strategic development increases the carrier’s fleet to 60 aircraft, showcasing a steady move towards achieving its ambitious, growth-oriented strategic goals.