THE ‘Vision 2030' has its eye on the tourism sector as a significant source of revenue and promising job opportunities in a series of sweeping economic reforms, according to an announcement made by Deputy Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman, second deputy premier and defense minister, last month. The vision states plans to "create attractions that are of the highest international standards, improve visa issuance procedures, and develop historical and heritage sites." The Kingdom's strategic location serves as a hub connecting three continents and a religious hub hosting the two Islamic holy sites that accommodates an average of up to 18 million visitors annually. In his only televised interview on Al-Arabiya, Prince Muhammad Bin Salman said the Kingdom is prepared to receive 30 million people who are expected to come for Umrah by 2030 that will be supported by new transportation projects including Jeddah's new airport, Taif's airport, the Haramain Train, and the Makkah Metro. Additionally, land surrounding the Grand Mosque that are government-owned and private will be invested to create accommodation for large numbers. On other forms of tourism, he announced plans to open the door for all nationalities "in accordance with our values and beliefs". However, he expressed dismay with the scarcity of cultural centers as well as the lack of an Islamic museum, noting plans to change the tourism scene. President of the Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage (SCTH) Prince Sultan Bin Salman stated last week that the tourism sector "offers many opportunities for a transformation to a new economy" and is one of the major premises of the ‘Vision 2030', according to a local daily. "We consider national tourism as a comprehensive industry. We hope to see more industries including cultural tourism, health tourism, entertainment, and others. We aim to transform national culture and transform the cultural heritage to products and works that contribute to the development of the national tourism sector," he was reported to have stated. [caption id="attachment_56607" align="alignright" width="300"] Students learn practical skills and training at the Tourism Institute at King Abdulaziz University. — Courtesy photo[/caption]Dr. Ibrahim Al-Sini, dean of the Tourism Institute at King Abdulaziz University, told Saudi Gazette: "The tourism sector is the most job-creating industry. It's a service industry that has to be operated by people. Many other industries are laying off workers because they are replaced with technology. The Kingdom's focus on this sector as well as the Haj and Umrah in the vision is a positive step. The more the services and the development of infrastructure, the more the number of visitors and more jobs for Saudis as long as they are qualified." The institute, a byproduct of a partnership with the SCTH, prepares Saudi graduates to receive a high quality education from partnerships with renowned Swiss and Asian institutes and get professional training in hotel management, tourism, travel, event management, cooking, national heritage, and tourism tours. "Such institutes play an important role in closing the gap because the industry was struggling with Saudization," he said. "Ten years ago, hotels had a negative impression towards Saudi employees in their incompetency, lack of commitment, poor performance and attitude. Now after the right training, the feedback from the managers is the opposite of that a decade ago. One reason is investment in high quality education and training. They are now proud and confident in working as chefs and hoteliers especially with bilingual and trilingual proficiencies." When asked about the religious sector's potential in growth, Dr. Al-Sini said there's a service gap that needs to be bridged. He says, "The most important thing for visitors is to feel the value for money and receive hospitality. There's a large gap when it comes to services in arrival at the airport, transportation, hotel, etc. There are ups and downs but the whole experience needs to be satisfying. Our role is to improve the customer satisfaction of religious tourists and guests so that the number increases, the average of stay increases, and eventually the GDP will consequently increase." He adds, "Focusing on religious tourism and raising the infrastructure in the strategic vision is a positive step. There needs to be more investment on the segments of tourists who are interested in visiting other religiously historic sites. We still need more museums in the Makkah region. We also have national heritage sites and historic sites that are not serviced." Both male and female graduates are currently working at leading hotels and many upcoming projects with average entry-level salaries that have increased from SR3,000 to up to SR8,000. Guy Hutchinson, COO of Rotana Hotels that have recently announced plans to open six hotels by the end of 2017, said, "Hospitality is expected to be a major growth sector in the Saudi economy for the foreseeable future." On job creation opportunities, he said, "We are dedicated to embedding a culture of hospitality in this generation of young Saudis so that it can be implemented in the workplace. Duroob, our career-building program for Saudis, is one example of that process."
