Jeddah tourism meet sets priorities

The 4th edition of the Jeddah Travel and Tourism Exhibition (JTTX) was opened by Hani Abu Ras, mayor of Jeddah, at the Hilton hotel this week and witnessed the participation of more than 80 companies and 150 exhibitors.
The three-day exhibition, which was held under the auspices of Makkah Gov. Prince Mishaal bin Abdullah and Jeddah Gov. Prince Mashaal bin Majed, aims to boost domestic tourism and give Saudi job seekers an opportunity to work in the sector.
The organizers of JTTX focused on seven types of tourism in this year’s edition, namely domestic, health, environmental, entertainment, shopping, property, archaeological, historical and religious.
The Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities and the Jeddah Municipality joined forces to organize the exhibition, which is the largest event of its kind in the region.
In his opening remarks, Abu Ras emphasized the fact that the exhibition gives Saudis the chance to explore opportunities in the tourism industry.
“The aim of the exhibition is to enhance local tourism and develop more job opportunities for the Saudi youth in this field, as it is considered still a nascent industry in the Kingdom. The SCTA has exerted commendable efforts in developing domestic tourism and we have made great strides on this front,” the mayor added.
Mohammed Abdullah Al-Amri, executive manager of the SCTA’s Makkah branch, told Arab News that the participation of more than 150 exhibitors has marked the exhibition as the biggest yet.
“We consider Jeddah the Kingdom’s tourism hub and are working with the city's tourism council, the municipality and JCCI to ensure that it hosts economic and tourism conferences and events on a yearly basis,” he said.
Al-Amri also said that plans are under way to establish an exhibition center spanning 120,000 square feet at the old Jeddah airport, which will serve to place Jeddah on the international level in terms of exhibitions and conferences.
The exhibition has attracted a large number of international and Arab businessmen, specialists and entrepreneurs and serves as a platform for the Saudi public to engage with decision-makers on issues related to the tourism sector.