https://arab.news/n9rxm
RIYADH: Saudi Justice Minister Waleed Al-Samaani has been elected head of the executive office of the Council of Arab Justice Ministers, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
Abdul Rashid Tabbi of Algeria was elected deputy head. Both will serve in their roles for two years.
The announcement came on Wednesday during the 71st session of the executive office, held at the Arab League’s headquarters in Cairo.
RIYADH: Cyprus Deputy Minister of Tourism Kostas Koumis said that Saudi Arabia and Cyprus can gain inspiration from one another to achieve flourishing tourism during the UN World Tourism Organization’s World Tourism Day, held in Riyadh.
In an exclusive interview with Arab News, Koumis said that the Kingdom has nailed down infrastructure and luxury.
“In my eyes, Saudi Arabia is a well-established destination already. We are staying in a very nice hotel, with luxury,” he said.
The minister highlighted that the Kingdom has shown commitment to developing its tourism through the launch of the Riyadh School for Tourism and Hospitality.
“For a country like Saudi Arabia, which is trying to develop the tourism industry again and again, I would say that it is very important to invest in the labor force, in education,” he said.
“Probably Cyprus will get inspiration from Saudi Arabia, seeing as the minister of tourism of Saudi Arabia, Ahmed Al-Khateeb, announced today that Saudi Arabia is planning to open the largest tourism academy in the world, in cooperation with the UN World Tourism Organization,” he added.
The minister said that the key to returning visitors is the Cypriot culture of “philoxenia,” meaning “friend to a stranger.”
He added: “But probably, Saudi Arabia could get inspiration from Cyprus, if we take into consideration that Cyprus is a well-known destination for more than 40 years already. As a country, we invest a lot in what we call ‘philoxenia.’ In other words, we invested a lot in the value of hospitality.”
Koumis pointed out that the Cypriot tourism sector is examining several ways to empower and encourage sustainable development.
He said: “We are actually examining the possibility of special incentive schemes to those developments, taking into consideration the environment. I like to say, and during the event today, during this morning, it is not important to talk about investments only.”
“It is very important to talk about the quality of investments and environmentally friendly investments,” he added.
In 2020, UNWTO reported a 74 percent loss of international tourist arrivals. Cyprus had approximately 600,000 visitors that year. In 2022, Cyprus hosted 3.2 million tourists.
“The milestones of the tourist industry in Cyprus are the year 2001, where we had 2.6 million visitors, and the year 2019, where we reached the number of 3.9 million visitors. Of course, during the COVID period, we had a huge decline, like many other countries, but in the last year, we had a very strong comeback.”
Cyprus’s rebound was a result of investment and effort, said Koumis. “How did we achieve it? It’s not a secret. Of course, in order to have the performance of 2019 and to have the performance of last year, we invested efforts and, of course, budgets to improve our country’s air connectivity.”
Koumis said that air connectivity is one of the key factors to a flourishing tourist market.
“After we achieve our good air connectivity, of course, we pay attention to promoting our country in many different destinations. Currently, we are running an online campaign in 29 countries. We are not relying on only five or six different markets. We are trying to attract visitors from many different countries.”
RIYADH: Global tourism officials meeting in Saudi Arabia have highlighted the importance of investing in people to safeguard the future of the sector.
With the industry getting back on track following the coronavirus pandemic, renewed efforts are being made to promote careers in tourism and hospitality.
Experts and leaders from around the world, gathered in Riyadh for the UN World Tourism Organization’s World Tourism Day, agreed that investment in talent was crucial to creating a sustainable sector.
Speaking on Wednesday during a panel session titled “Investing in Our People,” Indonesia’s deputy minister for tourism product and events at the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy, Rizki Handayani, said: “Human capital development is the most important aspect that plays key roles in the success of sustainable, or green tourism.
“We really need to put our efforts into the development of our human capital, their skill, their knowledge, as well as their capability and entrepreneurship.”
In 2020, more than 62 million jobs were lost globally due to the pandemic, many of those being in the tourism and hospitality industry. Saudi Arabia has since managed a return to work for 80 percent of the sector’s employees. But for many, job security fears are holding them back.
Haitham Mattar is managing director for the Middle East, Africa, and Southwest Asia at IHG Hotels and Resorts, the largest operator and employer in Saudi Arabia with more than 18,000 rooms in around 40 hotels.
He said: “It is now a critical task for both the government and private sector to re-instil the confidence in giving employees job security, but also financial certainty.”
While employment in hospitality can offer fast-tracked career opportunities, and international work, many people were now looking for flexibility, work-life balance, and well-being with jobs in areas such as hotels and airlines.
One of the biggest challenges currently being faced by companies was providing education and training for future employees. But CEO of Sommet Education, Benoit-Etienne Domenget, said globally these were not among the key investment areas.
“For too long, our community players of hospitality, tourism, and travel have considered human capital as a commodity,” he added.
Delegates at the session debated the need for expanded education beyond hospitality skills to ensure content was locally relevant and through the encouragement of entrepreneurial mindsets.
Christine Bockelmann, dean of Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts, said: “From a study in Portugal, we know that 50 percent of all people who have an education in tourism do not subsequently work in this field, so we have a problem with the attractivity of the jobs in this area.
“Education is very important and sustainability, and prosperity is very important. My key point is that we have to create a connectivity between these three topics,” she added.
RIYADH: Lovers of reading are expected to flock to the Riyadh Book Fair opening today which features some of the latest publications on literature and the arts, as well as an array of paintings and rare collectables.
Under the theme “An Inspiring Destination,” the event — the largest of its kind in the Arab world — promises visitors a diverse cultural journey until Oct. 7.
It has 800 pavilions over an area exceeding 55,000 square meters, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
More than 1,800 publishers are participating in the fair, with an additional 70 French firms represented through the “Lire en Francais a Riyadh” initiative.
Organizers expect the event to record over 1 million visits.
Visitors will also have the opportunity to look at over 25 rare manuscripts and collectables on display.
Oman is the guest of honor this year, which organizers said reflects the historical ties and fraternal relations between the two nations’ peoples.
Oman’s pavilion will occupy a central position within the exhibition, showcasing books, manuscripts, and various items that celebrate the country’s culture. There will also be several leading figures from Oman’s arts and culture scene present.
In conjunction with the fair, the International Publishers Conference will convene on Oct. 4 to address various challenges facing the book industry.
Sponsored by the Literature, Publishing and Translation Commission, the conference will feature speeches from prominent local and international industry leaders, as well as publishers, authors, content creators, and other specialists.
The Riyadh International Book Fair 2023 is made possible through the support of ROSHN, a national real estate developer serving as a community partner, and the Al-Riyadh Center for Political and Strategic Studies, acting as a cultural partner.
The King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture — also known as Ithra — the Diriyah Gate Development Authority, and the car rental company Yelo are also partners of the event.
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Culture Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan said there has been a 20 percent increase in the rate of “employment support” for 160 cultural professions in 286 activities, the ministry announced on Wednesday.
Prince Badr said that the rate of employment support for these professions jumped from 30 percent to 50 percent, as part of an initiative that was implemented, in cooperation with the Ministry of Culture and the Human Resources Development Fund, also known as Hadaf, to enhance professional sustainability in the cultural sectors and achieve the goals of Saudi Vision 2030, which includes developing the Saudi contribution to arts and culture.
The supported cultural professions included a wide list of professions in the sectors of heritage, language, books and publishing, libraries, fashion arts, theater and performing arts, culinary arts, films, museums, visual arts, festivals and events, and architecture and design.
The list also features educational development tracks for the cultural sector and multimedia design including film director, art critic, art trainer, theater producer, theater director, poet, author, literary critic, literary editor, literary publisher, textile designer, fashion designer, archaeologist, chef, embroidery worker, fashion guide, goldsmith, fashion model, calligrapher, archaeologist, document and manuscript restoration technician, furniture designer, museum director, museum guide, art gallery director, visual artist, singer, band leader, vocal performance coach, and other basic cultural professions.
Supporting cultural professions comes within the common objectives of the cooperation agreement signed by the Ministry of Culture with Hadaf in June to unify efforts in developing human capital in culture and the arts and enhancing professional sustainability for practitioners, amateurs and entrepreneurs in various cultural fields.
The Ministry of Culture has previously launched a strategy for developing cultural capabilities, through which it works in an integrated manner with government agencies to enable the professional and sustainable development of arts and culture practitioners and entrepreneurs, raise the level of awareness of developing cultural capabilities, and create a positive image of artistic and cultural professions and talents.
This project comes as a continuation of the ministry’s efforts aimed at comprehensive national development and unifies the efforts made by various relevant parties.
RIYADH: Nayef Al-Sudairi, the Saudi non-resident ambassador to the State of Palestine, visited Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Shtayyeh at his office in Ramallah on Wednesday.
Shtayyeh warmly welcomed Al-Sudairi to Palestine and underlined his commitment to providing all necessary support for the envoy’s mission, which Shtayyeh said he expects to contribute significantly to the development of relations between the two sates, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
The ambassador, who was on a two-day official visit to the West Bank that began on Tuesday, reaffirmed the unwavering support of the Kingdom for Palestine in international forums, and emphasized the strength of the relationship between the states and the potential for enhanced cooperation in a number of fields.
In a separate meeting, Al-Sudairi, who is also the Kingdom’s ambassador to Jordan, held talks with the EU’s representative in Palestine, Alexandre Stutzmann, to discuss the latest political developments relating to the Palestinian cause, along with other issues of common interest.
In addition, he held talks with Munib Al-Masri, the chairman of the board of directors of independent development organization Al-Quds Fund and Endowment, about ways to strengthen and develop relations.
The envoy, who was visiting the territory for the first time since he was appointed ambassador to Palestine in August, earlier presented his credentials to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
