JEDDAH: French hotel group Accor is set to announce its Saudi expansion plans during naseba's 3rd annual Kingdom Hotel Expansion Summit, to be held on June 6-7, at the Al Faisaliah Hotel in Riyadh. The initiative is supported by the Saudi Commission of Tourism and Antiquities. This year's edition will focus 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. Accor Middle East will host a media round-table on day one of the summit, in order to release details about its growing portfolio. 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 Saudi market is a key and strategic focus in Accor's regional development strategy and we are fully supportive of Saudi Arabia's travel, tourism and hospitality industry. We have a number of committed projects in the pipeline in Jeddah, Riyadh and Yanbu which will be operational in the next two to three years,” stated Christophe Landais, managing director Accor Middle East. Accor opened 41 new hotels in the Asia Pacific region in 2010 and signed over 70 development contracts, a record number of new contracts for a single year for the company.
