Tourism
From The Report: Saudi Arabia 2018
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Nestled between two seas and two continents, Saudi Arabia stretches over 2.1m sq km, an area as large as Western Europe. Its diverse landscapes offer a wide variety of scenery; while its rich history, culture and significance in the Muslim religion attract visitors from around the world, making it one of the most visited countries in the world. At around 31.7m – one-third of whom are expatriates – the Kingdom has the largest population of any country in the GCC region providing it with a sizeable source of domestic tourism. Furthermore, Saudi Arabia had an estimated GDP of $689bn in 2017, ranking it as a high-income country, meaning its inhabitants have substantial purchasing power that could be flexed in the travel sector. It comes as no surprise, then, that developing the country’s tourism sector has become a key priority in recent years, especially given that Saudi Arabia is seeking to boost diversification of its domestic industries away from hydrocarbons dependency.

This chapter contains an interview with Prince Sultan bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Chairperson and President, Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage.

Articles from this Chapter

Overview

Travel renaissance: The country gears up for higher numbers of domestic and international visitors
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Nestled between two seas and two continents, Saudi Arabia stretches over 2.1m sq km, an area as large as Western Europe. Its diverse landscapes offer a wide variety of scenery; while its rich history, culture and significance in the Muslim religion attract visitors from around the world, making it one of the most visited countries in the world. At around 31.7m – one-third of whom are expatriates – the Kingdom has the largest population of any country in the GCC region providing it with a sizeable…

Interview

Enriching experiences: Prince Sultan bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Chairperson and President, Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage (SCTH), on new sector reforms and investment
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Interview:Prince Sultan bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud What are priorities for the SCTH’s capital allocation? PRINCE SULTAN BIN SALMAN BIN ABDULAZIZ AL SAUD: The SCTH plans to incentivise the private sector to spend an additional SR171.5bn ($45.7bn) on the sector in Saudi Arabia. The main objectives are to establish and develop new destinations that target increasing tourism demand, to encourage investment – both local and international – in the private sector and to operate these…

Analysis

Meeting expectations: The corporate events and conferences segment gains new traction
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With the largest economy and population in the GCC, Saudi Arabia has long been a key destination for regional and international business leaders. The meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions (MICE) segment of the tourism industry has been a mainstay of many of the Kingdom’s hotels and hospitality services. Under the National Transformation Programme (NTP) and the country’s long-term development plan, Vision 2030, this segment is receiving additional support, with major new investments…

Analysis

Prioritising hospitality: Developing local human resources is integral to success
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The National Transformation Programme (NTP) outlined the goal of increasing direct employment in the tourism sector in Saudi Arabia, aiming to raise the number of jobs from 830,000 to 1.2m by 2020. This would mean the proportion of nationals working in the sector rising from 27.8% in 2016 to 29.6% in the next four years. However, these targets pose recruitment challenges, as it has not traditionally been the first choice for young Saudis seeking employment. Reversing this trend, while also ensuring…