SAUDI EXPATRIATES

During the Al-Ahsa Economic Forum on Wednesday Al-Khateeb said, total tourism spending for the year 2022 totaled 185 billion riyals, 93% rise over the previous Year 2021.

- He praised the outstanding achievements of the Kingdom's tourism system, which he credited to the ministry's empowerment of investors in the industry, which experienced a qualitative jump in the year 2022. Trending : Saudi Arabia launches "The Mukaab" project in downtown Riyadh

- The number of local tourists increased by 21% from the previous year 2021 to reach 77 million in the year 2022, while the number of foreign tourists stood at 16.5 million during the year. The tourism industry's direct contribution to the GDP was 3.2%, he highlighted.

- The Minister stated that the ministry is committed to a significant reform of the tourist industry and is eager to make it one of the most rapidly expanding and economically sustainable sectors.

- "There are more than 400,000 hotel rooms Today, and we expect to build 854,000 more hotel rooms by the year 2030, of which 70% will be sponsored by the private sector," Al-Khateeb added, referring to the industry's phenomenal expansion. In addition to the 90 hotels that opened in the Kingdom during the first quarter of the year 2022, the year also saw investments in global hotel chains that will add 435,000 new rooms by the year 2025.

- He announced the availability of 10,000 training courses for young Saudi citizens in Al-Ahsa as part of the actions taken to further develop the flourishing tourism sector in the governorate of Al-Ahsa. 15 projects in Al-Ahsa will be financed by loans with more than 2 billion riyals from the Tourist Development Fund. As per the information, Al-Ahsa is one of the top governorates for luring investors into the travel industry, said the minister. Related : Jabal Al-Qara in Al-Ahsa

- The Al-Ahsa's Chamber of Commerce and Industry is in charge of organizing the Al-Ahsa Economic Forum, with the theme "Al-Ahsa - The Economy of the Future". The 2-day event is attended by a number of ministers, representatives from the government, executives from national and international companies, experts, and well-known investors.

- The Ministry of Tourism's participation in the forum seeks to give investors from both inside and outside the Kingdom access to previously unheard-of investment prospects. By offering an attractive environment for investment, it also helps investors. The ministry works to turn investment opportunities into attractive initiatives in collaboration between the public and private sectors in order to capitalize on Al-Ahsa Governorate's appeal as a tourist destination, said Al-Khateeb.

- The ministry is also interested in promoting position of Al-Ahsa as an economic, tourist, and cultural investment destination because of the numerous benefits that have made it a special travel destination for adventurers. "Al-Ahsa has outpaced growth rates in leisure travel and spending, creating the best investment prospects in the industry, as it received more than 2 million visitors and spent more than 1 billion riyals over the previous period. See Also : Guinness world record for Al-Ahsa oasis

- The minister highlighted that in the Al-Ahsa governorate, the Ministry of Tourism is now engaged in projects worth SR1.43 billion. This shows the ministry's desire to promote tourism investment and draw capital to the governorate by trying to offer the finest investment possibilities, with the support of both the public and private sectors, as part of accomplishing the sector's goals under the Saudi Vision 2030.

- Al-Khateeb continued and said the interactive map that is part of the recently released unified platform will show several investment prospects in the Al-Ahsa tourism industry. Like and Follow Saudi Expatraites on Facebook