The Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA) created permanent jobs for 750,000 employees at the end of 2013, said a Trade Arabia report citing a senior official.
Prince Sultan bin Salman, the president of the organization, said Saudization, the national policy of Saudi Arabia to encourage employment of Saudi nationals in the private sector, in the tourism industry has risen from 10 per cent in 2000 to 27 per cent, thanks to the programs run by the National Project for Tourism Human Resource Development or Takamul, reported the Arab News.
A total of 33,819 benefited from the SCTA’s vocational programs, with 76,000 employed at the end of their training. Women now make up 46 per cent of the work force internationally, the report added.
Prince Sultan said the association has so far created more than one million jobs for young men.
According to him, the total value of domestic tourism spending surged to SR72 billion ($19.1 billion) in 2013 compared to SR52.2 billion ($13.9 billion) in 2006.
The association, he said, has helped in developing more than 200 tourist locations, ports and spas in various parts of the Kingdom, and formed a team to set up mountain climbing and paragliding activities.
The SCTA, which has 250 events in its tourism calendar, now plans to add new events such as car and motorcycle racing, he stated.
Through its Bare’ program, it has provided opportunities for young people to learn more about artifacts. It has organized more than 50 trips for young men included diving and a sand dune skiing program, it added.
