Saudi Arabia's Tourism Sector: Ahead of Schedule with Unprecedented Government Investment and Challenges
A top tourism official, Gloria Manzo, expressed confidence that Saudi Arabia will reach its tourism sector targets before 2030 due to its strategic approach and clear goals with regular performance reviews.
Manzo compared the Kingdom's development strategy to the private sector and emphasized the importance of meeting key performance indicators in quarterly meetings.
She noted that the targets being exceeded indicates faster-than-expected progress and a positive momentum towards achieving tourism goals.
An official expressed optimism about Saudi Arabia's development, praising the government's significant investment.
She acknowledged challenges in the tourism sector, including geopolitical issues and weather crises, and highlighted the need to train human resources more quickly to address this issue.
The official mentioned various measures being taken to address this challenge, including training Saudis abroad, establishing a training academy, and partnering with local universities.
Overall, she emphasized the unprecedented nature of the development process in Saudi Arabia.
The Saudi Arabian tourism industry is seeing increased participation from Saudi women, with the private sector playing a role in their training.
The Saudi government is moving faster than the private sector in supporting the industry's development, but small and medium enterprises (SMEs) require more assistance to keep up with the progress.
The government is working with these businesses and has a structured plan in place to support them.