More than 1mn Saudi's now employed in KSA tourism

More than one million Saudis are employed in the kingdom’s tourism sector, in what has emerged as the second biggest economic driver for jobs, according to Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA) president Prince Sultan Bin Salman.

In an address to the Shoura Council on Monday, Prince Sultan said that SCTA’s plans to attract more Saudi youths to the tourism sector had proved a resounding success, the Saudi Gazette reported.

“There has been a substantial increase in the number of Saudis who have come forward to take up jobs in the tourism sector,” he said.

“The number of those employed in this sector shot up to over one million at present from about 230,000 a few years ago.”

Prince Sultan said SCTA had so far formed 88 partnership agreements with various government and private agencies and organisations.

“Al Oqair Tourism project is the best example of government and private partnership,” he said.

Prince Sultan said he planned to establish a government holding company, to be owned by the Public Investment Fund, to provide necessary services in new tourism regions.

“SCTA is ready to present six new tourism spots upon which the new company can work on immediately after its launching,” he was quoted as saying.

He said a new deal to develop Taif as a tourist region would be signed shortly and there were similar plans for Farasan Island in Jazan.

Meanwhile, the historic Hira Cave and Tuwa Well in Makkah, Jabal Uhud region in Madinah, and sites of major Islamic battlefields were set for major overhauls.