Saudi Arabia will open a regional office for the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) in Riyadh as well as a global academy for tourism training, Minister of Tourism Ahmed al-Khateeb has announced.
Khateeb indicated Wednesday that this move would improve the quality of services provided to tourists.
According to the minister, the academy will have standards that enable it to be among the best in the world.
The Minister said the Kingdom, during its presidency of the G20, sought to address the concerns of all stakeholders in the region with regard to the future of tourism.
The Kingdom has put in place initiatives for the recovery of the global tourism sector, which was the worst hit from the coronavirus pandemic, according to Khateeb.
Saudi Arabia has launched a local initiative to revive the domestic tourism sector covering eight destinations within the Kingdom.
This has been welcomed by citizens and expatriates, Khatib noted, including the UNWTO secretary general who praised the initiative during his visit to the Kingdom last week when he toured a number of Saudi summer destinations.
Khateeb hoped that the Kingdom, together with UNWTO, would launch a set of initiatives to develop the tourism sector in the region.
The Minister also pointed out that the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz, and the government approved the Ministry’s move to open the regional office and the academy.
Majid al-Hokair, head of the Tourism Committee at the Riyadh Chamber of Commerce and Industry, told Asharq Al-Awsat that the Kingdom is making great progress in tourism as a source of major revenue.
Hokair said it is imperative to train professionals in hospitality, which creates great employment opportunities for both men and women.
He estimated the size of the tourism sector in the Kingdom at $40 billion, expecting larger numbers of tourists seeking to discover different destinations in the Kingdom next year.
