Tourism specialists, investors to discuss Saudi opportunities

JEDDAH: The Forum for Entertainment and Tourism … New Horizons will begin in Jeddah on Monday, under the patronage of Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, the king’s adviser and Makkah governor.
More than 30 prominent tourism specialists, investors and decision makers will take part in the three-day forum at the Jeddah Hilton Hotel.
Prince Abdullah bin Saud, chairman of the Tourism and Leisure Committee, and the chairman of the forum, spoke about addressing the biggest challenges facing the tourism sector over eight sessions and a number of workshops.
Participants will discuss local experiences in the field of privatization and partnership between the private and public sectors leading to more initiatives and ideas to boost tourism to achieve Vision 2030 and National Transformation Program goals of reducing the economy’s dependence on oil.
He said that the strategic partnership with the Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage, the General Entertainment Authority, the secretariat of Jeddah, and other relevant authorities will draw attention to the Saudi tourism sector that has lately been developing amid expectations to provide more than 1 million job opportunities in the five coming years.
He indicated that the organization of the forum’s first version coincides with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s launch of the Red Sea project, an international tourism project that will turn 50 Saudi Arabian islands into luxury tourism resorts.
The project will involve the world’s largest and most important hotel companies, as well as launching Al-Faisaliyah project that is considered as a developmental shift toward another Vision 2030 goal which seeks to boost partnerships with the private sector.
The secretary-general of the chamber, Hassan bin Ibrahim Dahlan, said that the forum will focus on new ways to attract more visitors and reduce the rate of Saudis traveling abroad in search of new touristic experiences.