AMID the global meltdown, smart investors have their sights set on Saudi Arabia and have earmarked the Kingdom as the next potential bright spot for tourism, according to Jonathan Worsley, co-organiser of the Arabian Hotel Investment Conference (AHIC), now in its fifth year.
He said that a high profile delegation from Saudi Arabia will put forward the case for investment in the country’s tourism and hospitality industry at the upcoming Arabian Hotel Investment Conference taking place at the Madinat Jumeirah Conference Centre in Dubai from May 2 to 4.
“The launch of the Saudi Summit at AHIC is timely given the global scenario. The current situation has caused many to rethink their tourism & hospitality investment strategies as former hotspots go in to meltdown,” Worsley said.
“What we are seeing in Saudi Arabia is a continued investment in the requisite infrastructure to develop and maintain a healthy hospitality sector, from new airlines, to a rail network, and to a plethora of accommodation options.”
Keynote speaker of the key opening session at AHIC’s Summit on Saudi Arabia, president and chairman of the board for the Saudi Commission for Tourism & Antiquities, HRH Prince Sultan bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud, said the remit for SCTA is to train people and create jobs, oversee the hotel and travel trade sector, as well as build on the Kingdom’s heritage. He said that a five year strategic plan is guiding this development. “Our aim is to reawaken our culture, not to open the floodgates for unrestricted tourism,” he said. “Our mandate is to ensure that tourism adds value to our culture, our society, to our economy, and to the visitor.”
With the easing of restrictions on tourism visas, plus government incentives and investment opportunities, HRH Prince Sultan said SCTA's efforts and programmes are aimed at developing local tourism. He said that a service sector is being created from the ground-up to cater to not only Umrah, pilgrim and overseas tourists, but also domestic travel, meetings and events.