NASEBA’S third annual Kingdom Hotel Expansion Summit concluded successfully at the Al Faisaliah Hotel in Riyadh, following a two-day agenda with interactive panel discussions and keynote addresses as well as one-to-one business meetings and an exhibition hall.
The summit was supported by the Saudi Commission of Tourism and Antiquities and its vice-president for investment, Dr Salah Al-Bukhyyet, opened day one with a keynote address, familiarising the audience with on-going projects in the kingdom as well as communicating the overall vision the commission holds towards the future of the hospitality and tourism sectors.
Highlights of the summit included a press conference held by French hotel group Accor, which announced the signing of a management contract with Al Mohammadia Almotahda for Real Estate Investment Company, to develop a multi-segment property in Jeddah, which will include an ibis hotel and an Adagio hotel, both of which are due to open in 2014. The move is part of a greater development plan which will see the group open 73 hotels by 2014 throughout the Middle East, creating up to 1,500 new jobs.
The summit focused on the various elements contributing to a new decade of excellence in Saudi’s tourism and hospitality industries, with an overview of planned infrastructure, potential for growth as well as the future of human resources in the hospitality sector.
“We enjoyed great support from the SCTA for our 3rd annual Kingdom Hotel Expansion Summit and expect an even greater and more focused edition next year. Saudi Arabia is a market of great potential across all sectors and the hospitality and tourism industries in particular are catalysts of the country’s impressive growth in the last years. Our vision is perfectly aligned with that of the commission and we continue to deliver our own share in ushering a new decade of excellence in the kingdom,” said Fabien Faure, managing director product development at naseba, the business information company behind the summit.
Some of the other attendees and speakers at the event included:
- Musaed A Al Said, CEO, Al Khozama Management Company
- Rani Gharbie, director development MEA, InterContinental Hotels Group
- Shuja Zaidi, Vice President projects and KSA general manager Makkah Hilton & Towers, Hilton Worldwide
- John Spitz, senior vice president Saudi Arabia, Hill International
- Diego Lofeudo, director of market management Middle East & Indian Ocean, Expedia
- Darroch Crawford, managing director, Premier Inn
- Dr Abdullah Al Washeel, director general, National Project for Tourism Human Resources Development (Takamul).