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Saudi Emerging Technology Adoption Index Rises to 70.7%

The “LEAP 2024” conference saw $1 billion in funding for emerging technology ventures in Saudi Arabia (Asharq Al-Awsat)
The “LEAP 2024” conference saw $1 billion in funding for emerging technology ventures in Saudi Arabia (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Saudi Emerging Technology Adoption Index Rises to 70.7%

The “LEAP 2024” conference saw $1 billion in funding for emerging technology ventures in Saudi Arabia (Asharq Al-Awsat)
The “LEAP 2024” conference saw $1 billion in funding for emerging technology ventures in Saudi Arabia (Asharq Al-Awsat)

The performance index of Saudi government agencies in “Emerging Technologies Adoption” has improved significantly by 10% compared to last year, rising from 60.3% in 2023 to 70.7% in 2024.
This improvement is driven by an increase in the number of participating government entities, which grew from 13 to 35.
This progress was detailed in the annual report released by the Digital Government Authority (DGA), highlighting the readiness of government entities to embrace emerging technologies in 2024.
The rise in the adoption index reflects a broader participation and growing interest aligned with the Kingdom’s goals to foster innovation and support modern technologies.
It also underscores Saudi Arabia’s commitment to sustainable development and building an advanced digital future under the “Vision 2030” initiative, which positions digital transformation as a cornerstone of its future vision.
The report also highlighted advancements in various capacities for adopting emerging technologies.
This heightened focus on adopting emerging technologies coincides with a transformative period for the Kingdom's digital government, which is leveraging cutting-edge technologies to deliver superior services to citizens, residents, and visitors, playing a crucial role in the journey towards the future.
Saudi Arabia has integrated numerous emerging technologies into government services, enhancing efficiency, automating services, saving time and effort, and promoting transparency.
Globally, the leading emerging technologies in digital governments include artificial intelligence (AI), which is used to improve government services, the Internet of Things (IoT) for data collection and analysis, virtual reality for providing interactive citizen experiences, and 3D printing for manufacturing parts and components.
Notably, Saudi Arabia ranked first globally in the Government AI Readiness Index, a part of the Global AI Index by Tortoise Intelligence, which assesses over 60 countries. Germany and China ranked second and third, respectively.
Saudi Arabia achieved a perfect score in the index’s criteria, which include having a dedicated national AI strategy, a specific government entity for AI, allocated funding and budget for AI, and defined national AI targets.

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New Legislation Facilitates Investment in Saudi Tourism Sector

Saudi Minister of Tourism Ahmed Al-Khatib (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Saudi Minister of Tourism Ahmed Al-Khatib (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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New Legislation Facilitates Investment in Saudi Tourism Sector

Saudi Minister of Tourism Ahmed Al-Khatib (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Saudi Minister of Tourism Ahmed Al-Khatib (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Saudi Minister of Tourism Ahmed Al-Khatib said, in an interview with Asharq Al-Awsat, that work is underway on new regulations and legislation that will facilitate the investment process in the Kingdom.
Saudi Arabia is witnessing a major transformation in the tourism sector after it enacted and developed a number of regulations and launched mega projects that allowed the country to attract more than 100 million visitors last year, the target initially set for 2030.
During a press conference on Wednesday at the Abu Faraj heritage palaces in Al-Aziza, west of the city of Abha in the southern Aseer region, Al-Khatib revealed the ministry’s moves to provide appropriate long-term funding at a competitive cost in order to encourage investment in the Saudi tourism system.
In his remarks to Asharq Al-Awsat, the minister pointed to the most prominent achievements in the sector, revealing that the Kingdom received 60 million visitors during the first half of 2024, with spending amounting to SAR 143 billion ($38.1 billion), recording about 10 percent growth in the number of tourists and spending.
He added that by the end of the first half of this year, the sector’s contribution to the gross domestic product had reached 5 percent, and was moving steadily toward achieving 10 percent, which is equivalent to SAR 600-700 billion of tourism income.
Moreover, Al-Khatib also spoke about the launch of the Bachelor of International Hospitality Management program, a partnership between the Ministry of Tourism, King Khalid University, and Hong Kong Polytechnic University.
He noted that a memorandum of understanding was signed between the Ministry of Tourism and the Colleges of Excellence Company, with the aim of developing human capabilities and expanding international specialized technical colleges and strategic partnership institutes in the field of tourism and hospitality.
Al-Khateeb said 10,000 training opportunities both inside and outside the Kingdom would be allocated to those working in the Aseer region’s tourism sector.
The National Tourism Strategy aims to reach over 150 million local and international tourists by 2030. In 2023, it reached 109 million.
The minister added: “The Tourism Development Fund plays an important role in providing financing, allocating SAR 7.4 billion to enable over 100 tourism projects around the Kingdom with a value exceeding SAR 35 billion.”
He pointed out that the fund financed 10 major projects in the Aseer region, ranging from international hotels to multi-use projects with a value exceeding one billion riyals. International hotel brands included: InterContinental Residence in Abha, DoubleTree in Khamis Mushait Governorate, and Khayal Walk Boulevard.