Al-Khateeb said in a statement during a Wednesday conversation session at the Local Content Forum in Riyadh that his ministry will provide $100 million yearly to equip 100,000 young Saudi men and women to operate in several spheres of the travel business. This project is a component of Saudi Arabia 's larger strategy to increase local employment possibilities in the sector and to contribute more tourism to the national economy.

Emphasizing that the tourist sector should contribute 10 percent to the national economy by 2030, the minister underlined how in accordance with Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 the aim is. One important approach to do this is the localizing of tourism-related employment. Al-Khateeb noted that this tendency is projected to develop as certain hotels now have a 50 percent Saudi workforce. Sometimes tourism operators have said they want training to fully utilize the local labor, a demand the government is eager to meet with this project.

The minister also discussed the need of localizing the tourist-related capital expenditure. The scheme calls for not only Saudi worker recruitment but also local contractor and supplier participation in the building of tourism infrastructure. The government wants to boost employment and increase the sector's contribution to the Kingdom's GDP by using Saudi offices for conceptualization, Saudi contracting companies for implementation, and local manufacturing for materials. This strategy fits more general objectives to stimulate economic development and lower dependency on foreign workforce in important sectors.

Al-Khateeb underlined that one of the main pillars of Saudi Arabia's economy, tourism will be very important in helping Vision 2030 to come true. Particularly with the creation of major tourist cities like NEOM, the Red Sea Project, Qiddiya, and Diriyah, the sector is already seeing significant expenditures. With notable private sector involvement, these initiatives total an investment of around $500 billion over the next 15 years. These changes are projected to help the tourism sector, therefore generating direct and indirect employment possibilities for Saudis.

Especially noteworthy is the Red Sea Destination, where the minister said that, with a sizable number of Saudi workers from local areas like Haql and Al-Wajh hired, the resorts and hotels now operational have attained a 50 percent localization rate. More than 15 additional resorts are expected to build in the area by 2025, hence boosting localizing initiatives and employment generation.

The forum's debate session covered the strategic importance of local content in the expansion of several industries, especially tourism. It looked at how Saudi Vision 2030 and the related national plans would affect sectoral growth, private sector preparedness to meet local content standards, and how such projects will enable the kingdom to handle economic difficulties. The debates underlined the need of local content rules in determining the direction of the travel sector and the larger economy, thereby guaranteeing that the advantages of economic development are experienced inside the Kingdom.

By means of these initiatives, the Ministry of Tourism not only promotes the growth of Saudi Arabia's tourism industry but also guarantees that it is built on a basis of local resources and talent, so complementing the Kingdom's larger goal for sustainable development and economic diversification.

Saudi Arabia to invest $100 million training 100,000 Saudis in tourism

Comments