Saudi Arabia is pursuing a tourism strategy aimed at domestic and regional visitors, and developing a sustainable base from which the industry can grow.
Tourism is already a valuable component of the Saudi economy. While religious tourism plays a significant part, the government has been trying to buoy the broader sector to optimise revenue and employment opportunities. To this end, the council of ministers has approved a US$ 38 bn tourism programme aimed at boosting infrastructure, local media reported. Massive investments are in line with the national budget for 2009, which will allocate SR 19.2 bn to upgrade the transport system. Airports alone will get SR 5.14 bn. Five new airport construction projects are under way, including a US$ 1.5 bn terminal at Jeddah, which will help the city cope with what has become a near year-round stream of pilgrims. The hotel industry is also set for growth. International hospitality brands are preparing to take advantage of the Kingdom's growing focus on tourism. A 292-room Radisson-SAS hotel is expected to open in Jeddah this year, as well as a 167-room property in Yanbu and a 234-bed hotel in Riyadh. Marriott Hotels and Crowne Plaza are also planning to open five-star properties. Hilton Hotels Group which recently entered into a partnership with Saudi-based Abdulmohsen Al-Hokair Group for Tourism and Development, has plans to build 13 new hotels in different parts of the country over the next five years, adding 2500 rooms. The first of these is scheduled to open this year in Riyadh. Overall, The SCTa plans to create 50.000 new hotel rooms and housing units in the next three years and has decided to turn several historic buildings across the country into state-owned heritage hotels. As part of continued efforts to spread awareness of the benefits of tourism to all corners of the country, and in particular to the west coast of the country, the government has selected 19 areas to be developed into resorts around Jeddah and Madinah. Despite the current focus on domestic and religious tourism, other segments of the market are set to grow. Conferences and workshops, for example, are beginning to take a higher profile and already account for 17% of tourism spending in the Kingdom. The government's willingness to increase the number of inbound visitors is a sign that Saudi Arabia is aware of the revenue and employment opportunities underlying a robust tourism sector. But the biggest challenge for the country will be to balance its tourism offer with local customs and allow the sector to grow in a sustainable way.
