JEDDAH, 23 May 2006 — The Supreme Commission for Tourism (SCT) hopes to establish 10 tourism development centers in various parts of the Kingdom, announced Prince Sultan ibn Salman, secretary-general of the SCT.
Speaking to reporters on Sunday after signing an agreement with Dr. Osama Sadek Tayyeb, president of the King Abdul Aziz University (KAAU) in Jeddah, the prince announced plans to establish three tourism and hotel management colleges under the General Organization for Technical Education and Vocational Training.
Asked whether women would be allowed to work in the tourism industry, the SCT chief said his organization was holding training programs for both genders. “Women are qualified to work and, like men, can make tremendous contributions to the Kingdom’s development,” he said.
He said the SCT’s move to employ women was in line with state policy. “In fact. we have started a new program for women that will allow them to work from home,” he said. “I think many women are now seeking jobs because they need them. The government has spent millions on educating and training them.”
The memorandum of understanding signed with the KAAU aims to develop academic and training programs promoting tourism and meeting job requirements in the sector. It includes establishment of a training institute for tourism and a center to support small-scale tourism projects.
According to the agreement, the SCT will send some of the university’s graduates for higher studies abroad and make use of its higher education facilities for tourism-related studies and research.
Prince Sultan also disclosed plans to improve the condition of service stations along the Kingdom’s highways. “We are now working on three models to develop these service stations in three main cities,” the prince pointed out.
The government is also studying proposals to reorganize the two-month academic holidays in summer, he said.
The SCT intends to attract a considerable portion of money spent by Saudi tourists abroad by boosting domestic tourism.
The prince called for greater participation of Saudi citizens in order to promote Saudi Arabia as an attractive tourist destination.
The SCT has decided to issue tourist visas through licensed tour operators as part of its efforts to attract 1.5 million tourists a year by 2020, excluding the millions who come on Haj and Umrah pilgrimages. Presently there are 18 licensed tour operators bringing foreigners on tourist visas to the country.
Prince Sultan said the government had approved the tourist visa system about seven years ago. In the absence of licensed tour operators, Saudi Arabian Airlines was given the authority to bring tourists from different parts of the world under its “Discover Saudi Arabia” program, he pointed out.
