Saudia to spend $100m to train locals

JEDDAH (Agencies): Saudi Arabia has allocated $100 million to provide training for 100,000 people to work in the tourism and sustainability sector, as the Kingdom continues its steady journey to become a global tourism hub by the end of this decade, according to the tourism minister.
While speaking at the 116th Executive Council of the United Nations World Tourism Organization, Ahmed Al-Khateeb revealed that Saudi Arabia is working to make the tourism industry more resilient and sustainable than ever.
“We don’t want to build the industry like it was in 2019. We want to go beyond that point,” said Al-Khateeb. The minister added that Saudi Arabia has allocated a sum of $800 billion to be spent on the tourism sector up to 2030.
Al-Khateeb stated that 90 hotels were launched in the Kingdom as a part of its tourism strategy, and made it clear that more hotels will be launched in the future, with 70 percent being funded by the private sector. He also added that Saudi Arabia will create a record in terms of inbound visitors in 2022.
The minister said that the tourism sector is responsible for 8 percent of global carbon emissions, and he urged everyone to focus on sustainability, which will in turn help achieve net zero by 2050.
As the tourism sector is recovering from the pandemic, Al-Khateeb said that the sector should be prepared for similar events like Covid which could happen in the future.