The Saudi Minister of Tourism, Ahmed Al-Khateeb, highlighted the significance of the tourism sector in boosting the economy of Saudi Arabia, according to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA).
During his participation in the “Future trends for local content in light of Vision 2030” session at the Local Content Forum in Riyadh on Wednesday, Al-Khateeb said that the tourism sector has the potential to create jobs across Saudi Arabia’s various regions.
The Saudi Minister attributed this to the abundance of tourist attractions and amenities in the Kingdom, highlighting the sector’s importance as a key driver of the economy’s diversification and sustainability plans under Saudi Vision 2030.
Furthermore, Al-Khateeb noted that the tourism sector’s contribution to the national economy increased to 5% in 2023, from 3% in 2019. The sector is working to achieve the remaining 10% over the next few years to reach the global average.
The Saudi Tourism Minister pointed out that the tourism industry contributed to increasing job localization rate from 3% in 2019 to 10% in 2023, aligning with the global average. This is the result of Saudi Arabia’s giga-projects and investments in the tourism sector.
These include the construction of mega tourist cities such as NEOM, the Red Sea, Qiddiya, Diriyah, as well as the private sector’s projects, including The Avenues. Al-Khateeb added that the value of these investments is projected to exceed $500bn over the next 15 years.
Moreover, Al-Khateeb emphasized the importance of localizing investments in the areas of design, construction, and operation. He said that the Tourism Ministry spends $100mn annually to train 100,000 male and female citizens, noting that some projects, such as the Red Sea, has achieved 50% localization rate.
