The 6th Future Investment Initiative (FII) has discussed the recovery of the tourism sector after the COVID-19 pandemic and top factors that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia enjoys that can make it a global tourist destination. Minister of Tourism Ahmad Al-Khateeb, during a panel discussion as part of FII, stressed that the tourism sector has managed to recover by 60% compared with 2019, where turnout on travelling started to increase, noting that the sector also managed to retrieve 200 million jobs compared with 60,000 lost jobs during the pandemic. The minister also said that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was able to realize historic figures in terms of the numbers of visitors and the volume of expenditure on tourism, pointing out that the sector this year witnessed an improvement that exceeded expectations and that the World Bank expected a slowdown in the global growth but results show that the travel and tourism sector will exceed the envisioned rate, expecting the number of tourists in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to increase by 300% in 2030. He also stated that the tourism sector seeks to contribute to 10% of the GDP and to become the best tourist destinations in the world, referring to the availability of all resources that serve tourism in a way that accords with the Saudi Vision 2030 to make the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia the best tourist destination. The minister said: "Now, we are in the middle of the road and we have realized several successes and opportunities that will make the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia at the forefront of tourist destinations, where we seek to maximize the benefits through offering the best experience for visitors of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and invest in workforce through announcing one million jobs via several programs." He also noted that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia enjoys all tourist elements thanks to having the Red Sea, mountains, culture and cities, where work is ongoing to make Riyadh the first place for tourism and travel, referring to the establishment of the sustainability center that can preserve jobs and protect the environment and social life.
