Industry trends revealed at Hotelier KSA GM Debate
More than 100 general managers are expected to attend the third annual Hotelier Middle East KSA GM Debate being held today (December 12) at Sheraton Jeddah.
The conference started at 8.30am with a welcome address from Hotelier Middle East, followed by a keynote address delivered by Dr Salah Al-Bakheet, vice president for Investment at the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA).
Al-Bakheet recently announced more than 100 high-rise buildings with a total room capacity of 24,480 and at a total cost of SR 18.3 billion being constructed in Makkah.
His keynote speech outlined this development and opportunities for public and private investment.
The SCTA’s long-term vision for the Kingdom’s hospitality sector estimates visitor numbers will nearly double from 47 million in 2008 to 88 million by 2020, while the number of hotel rooms would rise from 117,097 to 254,310, and apartment units would increase from 101,544 to 185,853.
Tourism revenues are predicted to reach US $31.5 billion in 2015 and $61.9 billion for 2020.
Following on from Al Bakheet’s address, TRI Hospitality Consulting unveiled its exclusive market research on Saudi Arabia.
CLICK HERE TO SEE THE TOP TRENDS PREDICTED FOR THE KSA MARKET
The opening panel session, moderated by Peter Goddard and Christopher Hewett of TRI Hospitality, will discuss further growth potential in the country, focusing on the state of the hotel pipeline in the Kingdom.
A series of panel sessions and interactive workshops are lined up for the rest of today’s debate, tackling subjects including market segmentation and diversification, licensing and classification and the impact of Saudisation targets on operators.
Remaining panel sessions will centre on topics including revenue management, sales and marketing, and HR and staffing.
Speakers will include Tarek Lofty, regional revenue director — MENA region and general manager, Golden Tulip; Tareq Saleem, director revenue management, The Ritz-Carlton Riyadh; Khalid Al Ashgar, regional director of sales, Rosewood Hotels & Resorts; Ahmed Adam, director of sales — Saudi Arabia, The Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group; and Zakarya El Baba, director of sales and marketing, Sheraton Jeddah Hotel & Resort.
The GM Debate will also feature three not-to-be-missed workshops moderated by senior representatives from SCTA.
Munthir M. Al-Ansari, member, panel of tourism experts at UNWTO and manager of tourism information and statistics at SCTA will lead a workshop on the body’s Information and Tourism Research Centre; Eng Ahmed Al Essa, general director of licensing and quality at SCTA will discuss and answer queries on licensing and classification; and Abdullah Al-Weshail, general manager, National Project for Tourism Human Resource Development, SCTA, will advise on Saudisation.