Saudi Arabia’s tourism sector is the second largest economic sector to provide job opportunities to Saudis, said Prince Sultan bin Salman, president of the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities, adding that the sector has employed about 1 million citizens. “More and more Saudis are now interested in working for the travel and tourism sector,” Prince Sultan told the consultative Shoura Council. “Officials have confirmed that the tourism sector would become the largest employer in the coming years,” he added. He said that the SCTA’s partnership agreements with governorates, ministries and other agencies have won praise from the World Bank. “We have signed 88 such agreements so far,” he added. He also disclosed that the SCTA was working for the recovery of a Roman-era ship that was found near Qunfudah. Prince Sultan emphasized his organization’s plan to develop heritage sites that are on the verge of collapse into tourist destinations by renovating them. However, he reminded Shoura members that such an endeavor requires large amounts of funding. He said the government has offered support to build more infrastructure facilities at tourist centers in various parts of the country. “The Saudi leadership has been removing obstacles facing tourism projects.”
Posted on: Wed, 02 Oct 2013 09:30:02 +0000