JEDDAH, 31 May 2005 — The Supreme Commission for Tourism (SCT) will establish special agencies all over the Kingdom with full powers to plan and carry out tourism promotion programs, Prince Sultan ibn Salman, its secretary-general, has said.
SCT also intends to organize tourist trips for one million students in coordination with the Education Ministry. “We consider students as tourism cadres in terms of producers and workers in the sector,” the Saudi Press Agency quoted the prince as saying.
Speaking to reporters after meeting with Abdul Rahman Al-Rashid, chairman of the Eastern Province Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and the chamber’s board members in Dammam, Prince Sultan announced plans to establish a tourism promotion agency in the province.
He said the commission gives priority to Saudi citizens being tourists and investors. “We have given utmost importance to family tourism in our strategy,” he explained.
Referring to the commission’s Saudization drive, he said SCT had reached agreement with 80 travel and tourism agencies to carry out the Saudization program within eight years. Earlier yesterday, Prince Sultan signed a cooperation agreement with King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM) to set out a Saudization plan for tourism and recreation sectors. He said the agreement was important for training Saudis to take up jobs in the sectors.
“We are now discussing with a number of Saudi universities to provide diplomas and other degrees in tourism related specializations,” he said. King Saud University’s board has already decided to establish a college of tourism and real estate.
The commission plans to sign an agreement with Um Al-Qura University next week to carry out a program for the Haj & Umrah sector, the secretary-general said.
The agreement with KFUPM aims at conducting a study on tourism and job opportunities in the sector and the qualifications required for such jobs. It will also recommend the rate of Saudization of jobs every year as well as a salary scale for employees.
The accord is significant as the commission has already started implementing Saudization of jobs in the travel, tourism, hotel and accommodation sectors, Prince Sultan said. Dr. Khaled Al-Sultan, president of KFUPM, signed the agreement for the university.