RIYADH, 6 April 2004 — The Supreme Commission for Tourism (SCT) is mapping out a new strategy to train Saudi nationals and cut reliance on foreign workers in the travel sector.
Yesterday was the deadline for travel agencies to provide details of their workers to the commission, according to travel industry sources.
The SCT is now determining whether existing private and public sector institutions have enough capacity to train Saudis.
“After making an assessment of the training load, the SCT will decide whether it needs the help of private investors to set up training facilities for Saudi workers,” said Rashid Al-Mughaid, general manager of United Saudi Travel Agents (USTA) yesterday. “Almost all agencies have complied with the SCT instruction,” he said.
He said travel agencies submitted job categories of their staff, their nationalities, total number of employees and other details.
The Saudization of travel agencies would go ahead in accordance with a new agreement between travel agencies and the Saudi government, he said.
A draconian attempt to enforce the Saudization of front desks last month sparked an outcry and led to a compromise solution.
The government has set a fresh two-year deadline for full Saudization of ticketing and sales jobs. Fifty percent should be achieved by the end of this year.
SCT warned that travel agencies must furnish all details of their staff or face grave consequences.
Regarding facilities where the Saudi nationals will be trained, Al-Mugaid said some government-owned institutions like the General Organization for Technical Education & Vocational Training (GOTEVOT) and the Institute of Public Administration (IPA) could be used.
“In the event the training facilities are inadequate, the SCT or the government agencies will talk to the private investors who have shown willingness to participate,” he said.
About 2,800 travel agencies are operating in the Kingdom. The cumulative loss caused by the crackdown on expatriates last month exceeded SR100 million, according to industry sources.
The SCT wants to generate 2.3 million jobs for Saudis in the travel sector over the next 20 years.
