The Saudi Arabia Ministry of Tourism and Al-Balad Development Company, a Public Investment Fund (PIF) subsidiary, signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) concerning collaboration to empower national human capital in the tourism sector.
The MOU focuses on improving hospitality services in Jeddah’s historic district, Al-Balad. The collaboration will create local jobs and develop a skilled workforce in the field of hospitality, heritage tourism, and tourist guidance. The agreement, signed by Al-Balad CEO Jamil Ghaznawi and the Ministry’s Acting Undersecretary for Tourism Human Resources Development Hind Al-Zahid in the presence of Minister of Tourism Ahmed Al-Khateeb, stipulates a collaborative effort to harness shared resources and expertise. The partnership is bound to empower Saudi nationals through comprehensive training, education, and job opportunities.
The initiative aligns with the Kingdom’s National Tourism Strategy, which seeks to attract 150 million visitors annually by 2030 and create 1.6 million tourism-related jobs.
The vision of the Saudi Arabia Ministry of Tourism has always been and remains to be the world’s leading tourism sector while achieving the greatest positive sustainable impact on the planet.
To achieve this monumental goal, the Ministry believes the best way to do that is to win people’s hearts and minds by opening doors to life in Saudi Arabia where life-changing stories happen every day.
With tourism as one of the key pillars at the heart of Vision 2030’s plan to help diversify the economy and reduce reliance on oil, the Ministry of Tourism, the Saudi Tourism Authority, and the Tourism Development Fund were established in line with international best practice and with clear remits to support the growth of this significant sector and help it to flourish.
