Al Hilal advances to AFC Champions League knockout stage despite 1-1 draw with Al Sadd    Finance minister: All Vision 2030 projects have sustainable funding that won't affect public finances    Crown Prince announces medium-term debt strategy to diversify funding sources "A resilient economy capable of overcoming challenges reflects progress towards achieving Vision 2030 goals"    'No excuses' for Israel to not accept ceasefire deal, EU foreign policy chief says    Alkhorayef highlights role of National Initiative for Global Supply Chains in boosting Saudi economy    Saudi Arabia signs investment deals worth SR35bn with foreign firms to strengthen global supply chains    Saudi Arabia unveils updates on Expo 2030 Riyadh master plan at 175th BIE General Assembly Riyadh Expo Development Company established to oversee strategic planning, operations, and legacy development    Riyadh Season draws 8 million visitors in 6 weeks    Saudi FM attends Quadripartite meeting on Sudan in Italy    Gangsters block aid distribution in south Gaza    Russian deserter reveals war secrets of guarding nuclear base    Georgia's new parliament opens first session amid mass protests and boycott    Best-selling novelist Barbara Taylor Bradford dies    Cristiano Ronaldo's double powers Al Nassr to 3-1 win over Al Gharafa in AFC Champions League    Al Ahli edges Al Ain 2-1, bolsters perfect start in AFC Champions League Elite    Al-Falih: 1,238 foreign investors obtain premium residency in Saudi Arabia    Most decorated Australian Olympian McKeon retires    Adele doesn't know when she'll perform again after tearful Vegas goodbye    'Pregnant' for 15 months: Inside the 'miracle' pregnancy scam    Do cigarettes belong in a museum?    Order vs. Morality: Lessons from New York's 1977 Blackout    India puts blockbuster Pakistani film on hold    The Vikings and the Islamic world    Filipino pilgrim's incredible evolution from an enemy of Islam to its staunch advocate    Exotic Taif Roses Simulation Performed at Taif Rose Festival    Asian shares mixed Tuesday    Weather Forecast for Tuesday    Saudi Tourism Authority Participates in Arabian Travel Market Exhibition in Dubai    Minister of Industry Announces 50 Investment Opportunities Worth over SAR 96 Billion in Machinery, Equipment Sector    HRH Crown Prince Offers Condolences to Crown Prince of Kuwait on Death of Sheikh Fawaz Salman Abdullah Al-Ali Al-Malek Al-Sabah    HRH Crown Prince Congratulates Santiago Peña on Winning Presidential Election in Paraguay    SDAIA Launches 1st Phase of 'Elevate Program' to Train 1,000 Women on Data, AI    41 Saudi Citizens and 171 Others from Brotherly and Friendly Countries Arrive in Saudi Arabia from Sudan    Saudi Arabia Hosts 1st Meeting of Arab Authorities Controlling Medicines    General Directorate of Narcotics Control Foils Attempt to Smuggle over 5 Million Amphetamine Pills    NAVI Javelins Crowned as Champions of Women's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Competitions    Saudi Karate Team Wins Four Medals in World Youth League Championship    Third Edition of FIFA Forward Program Kicks off in Riyadh    Evacuated from Sudan, 187 Nationals from Several Countries Arrive in Jeddah    SPA Documents Thajjud Prayer at Prophet's Mosque in Madinah    SFDA Recommends to Test Blood Sugar at Home Two or Three Hours after Meals    SFDA Offers Various Recommendations for Safe Food Frying    SFDA Provides Five Tips for Using Home Blood Pressure Monitor    SFDA: Instant Soup Contains Large Amounts of Salt    Mawani: New shipping service to connect Jubail Commercial Port to 11 global ports    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Delivers Speech to Pilgrims, Citizens, Residents and Muslims around the World    Sheikh Al-Issa in Arafah's Sermon: Allaah Blessed You by Making It Easy for You to Carry out This Obligation. Thus, Ensure Following the Guidance of Your Prophet    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques addresses citizens and all Muslims on the occasion of the Holy month of Ramadan    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



Mideast tourism industry needing 1.5m professionals
Published in The Saudi Gazette on 02 - 05 - 2008

As regional tourism & hospitality projects reach completion, employment levels in the sector are showing signs of strain from a chronic shortage of trained staff, according to the co-organizer of Arabian Hotel Investment Conference (AHIC), Jonathan Worsley.
“Staffing levels is one of the biggest challenges facing the global industry. The Middle East alone has demands for more than 1.5 million staff by 20201 and the aviation sector alone will require 200,000 additional pilots2 over the coming two decades.”
Accor Hospitality's Managing Director Christophe Landais confirmed that the hotel industry is facing serious problems in its work force: “The staffing challenge is one that the whole industry is feeling.
The Arabian Hotel Investment Conference will run on May 3-5, 2008 at Dubai's Madinat Jumeirah Convention Center, jointly organized by The Bench and MEED.
The main issue is how to hold on to the high-service levels that we have achieved across the region. Inconsistencies in service quality will be detrimental for Dubai as a tourist destination.”
Meanwhile, Abu Dhabi-based Rotana Hotels currently retains more than 6,000 employees and has mapped out plans to increase its manpower some 150 per cent by 2010.
“In line with our expansion plans, Rotana is treating team retention and extension as a key project. We have implemented a process that aims to embrace and broaden employee development. It uses wide-spread surveys, competency programs and has centralised recruitment,” said Rotana's Executive Vice President & COO, Imad Elias.
“Equally important, we have widened our footprint and added new markets in our search for the right team members.
“We believe that these fused initiatives are a major step towards ensuring that we remain on top of what could otherwise become a challenge,” said Elias.
Tom Meyer, area general manager, InterContinental Hotels Group, Dubai Festival City, said the global approach will be a great help in recruiting the right mix of internationally- and locally-experienced people.
“Due to the massive growth of hotel industry in Dubai, it is getting more and more difficult to recruit talented individuals locally. However, we have great resources internationally and will draw on these to create a good balance.
“We are continuously striving to improve our standards but in encouraging staff retention, nothing works better that taking the time to listen to what each individual employee has to say.”
More than 1,000 senior-level decision makers representing the Gulf region and international markets will gather at the upcoming AHIC 2008 to debate the on-going industry skill-shortages which are expected to challenge the burgeoning sector before it hits hard.
The session will be moderated by Peter Malone, managing director, Madison Mayfair and will include the following panelists: Andreas Mattmüller, senior vice president Middle East & Asia, M?venpick Hotels & Resorts; Keith Yates, president & CEO, Performa Global; Paul Z. Diab, director of Operations MENA, Golden Tulip Hotel & Resorts; Ron Hilvert, managing director, The Emirates Academy and Sean Worker, managing director & SVP International Operations, Wyndham Hotel Group International. __


Clic here to read the story from its source.