JEDDAH — The head of the hospitality committee at the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry said on Tuesday that Saudi women should start working in the tourism and hotel sectors just like women in other Arab countries. Khaled Al-Harthy believed that up to 15 percent of jobs provided in the tourism, hotel and catering sectors could be occupied by Saudi women. He said women could be a success in these sectors. There are a few women working in the tourism and hotel industry and that is because they made a conscious attempt to break into the sector, said Al-Harthy. Women, said Al-Harthy, are still being marginalized in the private sector, especially in tourism. However, those women working in the environmental sector and public relations have proven to be successful, he claimed. Women, Al-Harthy said, are not encouraged to work in the catering sector, particularly in restaurants, and therefore many of them run home catering businesses and come up with creative ideas. “Such talents should be nurtured,” he added. According to Al-Harthy, women in the Kingdom can work in reception, event management and room service at hotels, like in other countries. Employing women in tourism, hotel and catering industries, he said, will help solve Saudization issues and also provide jobs to women. What women need is support and training to be involved in these sectors, he claimed. Al-Harthy called on the Ministry of Labor to make it easier for women to work in these sectors. The Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities, said Al-Harthy, does not have the authority to allow women to work in these fields, so the relevant authorities should give the green light for women to work in tourism, hotels and catering.
