RIYADH, 23 January 2004 — The Shoura Council is studying a proposal stipulating that all travel agencies operate under the jurisdiction of the Supreme Commission for Tourism (SCT). The proposal is part of a comprehensive tourism development plan awaiting the council’s approval, according to a SCT statement.
“The commission is optimistic that once the plan wins the council’s approval, its implementation will significantly streamline and improve the tourism sector,” the statement said. Travel agencies have welcomed the plan.
Currently, travel agencies and tourism agencies come under the jurisdiction of the Presidency of Civil Aviation. There are over 2,800 travel companies and agencies operating in the Kingdom, representing a total investment of over SR2.8 billion.
The commission, which is headed by Prince Sultan ibn Salman, said the travel industry would generate 2.3 million jobs for Saudis over the next 20 years. It pointed out that there were 65.1 million tourist trips to the Kingdom, including 57.6 million domestic excursions, in the year 2002, with tourism revenues amounting to 8.8 percent of the Kingdom’s gross domestic product.
The report predicted that tourist excursions to and within the Kingdom would reach 141 million by the year 2020, and that the tourism sector would provide between 1.5 and 2.3 million jobs by then.
Referring to the growth of tourism sector, the SCT said that all government agencies have been coordinating efforts to develop the sector. The Ministry of Commerce and Industry has been particularly keen to ensure the opening of more hotels and furnished residential units across the Kingdom in order to promote domestic tourism. Last year alone, the ministry issued 861 hotel licenses, which will offer 142,000 rooms once the projects are completed.
