Prince Salman Bin Abdul Aziz, Emir of Riyadh, will inaugurate the First Saudi Travel and Tourism Investment Market (STTIM) Sunday night at the Al-Faisaliah Hotel here. STTIM has the slogan “Tourism is for Everyone… Partnership for Sustainable Development” and it is aimed at opening up investment opportunities to develop Saudi Arabia's tourism infrastructure – accommodation, services, etc. The four-day conference will also look into the obstacles hampering growth of the tourism sector. “STTIM 2008 highlights the importance of the travel and tourism sectors to the Kingdom's economy and future plans,” said Prince Sultan Bin Salman, Secretary General of the Supreme Commission for Tourism (SCT), which is organizing the event. The main issues to be discussed at the conference are tourism potential and investment opportunities, existing tourism products, tourism human resources and tourism information. Marketing manager for SAMA, Faisal Al-Douhaim said the conference will provide a platform for idea exchange. “The meeting of the leaders of the travel and tourism industry in a specialized conference held annually will provide a great opportunity for the exchange of ideas and, most importantly, the opportunity to discuss any problems investors face in the travel sector.” “It will also provide an opportunity to see the transparency of dialogue and dealing between the governmental sides and private sector investors,” Douhaim said. The conference is focusing on tourism businesses, such as hotel and furnished apartments, luxury resorts, timeshares, telecommunication, property developers, spa and health services, banking and finance, travel agencies and tour operators. Several workshops starting Monday and continuing for two days, will focus on how best to use the resources of the Kingdom to promote tourism. There are workshops related to consumer satisfaction, transportation to tourist sites, meeting the demands for hotels and how best to use technology in conjunction to make tourism safe and enjoyable. __
