Saudi Minister of Tourism Ahmed Al Khateeb highlighted that the Kingdom is committed to creating 250,000 employment opportunities during the Expo 2030 held in Riyadh. He underscored the significance of sustainable jobs and announced plans to offer 1,000 hotel rooms alongside the exhibition.
During the ‘Accelerated Progress in the Labor Market’ session at the Global Labor Market Conference, Al Khateeb discussed the launch of the National Tourism Strategy in 2019. The strategy aims to raise the sector’s contribution to the domestic product from 3 percent to 10 percent by 2030, necessitating the creation of an additional one million jobs by that year.
As the Chair of the Executive Council of the United Nations World Tourism Organization, the Kingdom will host the upcoming General Assembly of the council. Al Khateeb outlined three priorities for the assembly: ensuring environmental sustainability, providing suitable job opportunities, promoting tourism growth, travel, and services expansion, and emphasizing the significance of preserving the unique characteristics of tourist destinations.
Digitization’s impact on the labor market
Al Khateeb noted that the global population is projected to reach 8.5 billion by 2030. He highlighted the ongoing digitization process across various sectors, including trade and manufacturing, which has negatively impacted the labor market. He also mentioned that the travel and tourism sector accounted for 10 percent of the global labor market, offering 330 million jobs in 2019 before the pandemic. The airline and hotel industries were particularly affected, with a loss of 60 million jobs. However, he expressed optimism, citing reports from the United Nations World Tourism Organization and the World Travel and Tourism Council indicating a gradual recovery to pre-pandemic levels.
Read more: Saudi’s grandiose masterplan for Expo 2030: 226 pavilions designed in a globe-like layout
Crucial industry for future growth
The minister underlined that the tourism sector’s role in job creation makes it a crucial industry for future growth. Furthermore, he underlined the importance of preserving the human element in the tourism sector, as it plays a central role in facilitating cultural exchange between countries through travel.
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