Saudi Tourism Ministry Launches Global Program to Train 100,000 Young Men, Women

The "Tourism Pioneers" program will contribute to providing extensive global expertise to future Saudi leaders in the Kingdom’s tourism sector. Photo: Twitter Account of Minister of Tourism Ahmed Al-Khateeb
The "Tourism Pioneers" program will contribute to providing extensive global expertise to future Saudi leaders in the Kingdom’s tourism sector. Photo: Twitter Account of Minister of Tourism Ahmed Al-Khateeb
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Saudi Tourism Ministry Launches Global Program to Train 100,000 Young Men, Women

The "Tourism Pioneers" program will contribute to providing extensive global expertise to future Saudi leaders in the Kingdom’s tourism sector. Photo: Twitter Account of Minister of Tourism Ahmed Al-Khateeb
The "Tourism Pioneers" program will contribute to providing extensive global expertise to future Saudi leaders in the Kingdom’s tourism sector. Photo: Twitter Account of Minister of Tourism Ahmed Al-Khateeb

The Ministry of Tourism launched Tuesday the "Tourism Pioneers" program, which aims to develop the capabilities of 100,000 young Saudi men and women in the field of hospitality, tourism and travel.

Minister of Tourism Ahmed bin Aqeel Al-Khateeb launched the program on the sidelines of the 116th session of the Executive Council of the World Tourism Organization (WTO) in Jeddah.

The "Tourism Pioneers" program will contribute to providing extensive global expertise to future Saudi leaders in the Kingdom’s tourism sector.

"We must invest in our youth today and create skilled and ambitious workforce to support the tourism sector at the regional and global levels, as this plays a major role in achieving the Kingdom's Vision 2030,” said the minister.

“This program demonstrates our commitment to empowering young people by providing them with the necessary skills and support.”

The Ministry of Tourism has selected the highest-rated institutes and educational institutions in the world based on their academic capabilities in the field of tourism and training, such as the Les Roches Marbella, Spain, Global Hospitality Education; SHMS Swiss Hotel Management School; Glion Institute of Higher Education; Cesar Ritz Colleges; Montreal Institute; ESSEC Business School; Ecole Hoteliere in Lausanne; European School of Economics (ESE); NSW Technical and Further Education, and Business and Hotel Management School (BHMS), Switzerland.

Selected applicants to join the program will benefit from comprehensive training courses that will enable them to secure employment opportunities in the leading hospitality companies in the Kingdom.

To qualify for the program, the applicant must be a Saudi national, speak English fluently, and be interested in working in the tourism sector and register on the ministry’s website.



Latest Tests Show Seine Water Quality Was Substandard When Paris Mayor Took a Dip

 Boats carrying members of delegations sail along the Seine during the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games on July 26, 2024. (AFP)
Boats carrying members of delegations sail along the Seine during the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games on July 26, 2024. (AFP)
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Latest Tests Show Seine Water Quality Was Substandard When Paris Mayor Took a Dip

 Boats carrying members of delegations sail along the Seine during the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games on July 26, 2024. (AFP)
Boats carrying members of delegations sail along the Seine during the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games on July 26, 2024. (AFP)

Tests results released Friday showed the water quality in the River Seine was slightly below the standards needed to authorize swimming — just as the Paris Olympics start.

Heavy rain during the opening ceremony revived concerns over whether the long-polluted waterway will be clean enough to host swimming competitions, since water quality is deeply linked with the weather in the French capital.

Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo took a highly publicized dip last week in a bid to ease fears. The Seine will be used for marathon swimming and triathlon.

Daily water quality tests measure levels of fecal bacteria known as E. coli.

Tests by monitoring group Eau de Paris show that at the Bras Marie, E. coli levels were then above the safe limit of 900 colony-forming units per 100 milliliters determined by European rules on June 17, when the mayor took a dip.

The site reached a value of 985 on the day the mayor swam with Paris 2024 chief Tony Estanguet and the top government official for the Paris region, Marc Guillaume, joined her, along with swimmers from local swimming clubs.

At two other measuring points further downstream, the results were below the threshold.

The statement by Paris City Hall and the prefecture of the Paris region noted that water quality last week was in line with European rules six days out of seven on the site which is to host the Olympic swimming competitions.

It noted that "the flow of the Seine is highly unstable due to regular rainfall episodes and remains more than twice the usual flow in summer," explaining fluctuating test results.

Swimming in the Seine has been banned for over a century. Since 2015, organizers have invested $1.5 billion to prepare the Seine for the Olympics and to ensure Parisians have a cleaner river after the Games. The plan included constructing a giant underground water storage basin in central Paris, renovating sewer infrastructure, and upgrading wastewater treatment plants.