Saudi Arabia's tourism industry is gaining further momentum, benefiting from the Kingdom's strong economic fundamentals. Latest data revealed that the Saudi travel and tourism industry will continuously grow and is forecast to increase by 4.2 percent year-on-year to reach SR74.6 billion in 2022 (in constant 2011 prices), the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) said. Against this backdrop, Ziyad Bin Mahfouz, President of Elaf Group of Companies, and sponsor of the recent "Saudi Travel and Tourism Investment Forum 2012", underlined the significance of such an event, emphasizing that it hosted a series of sessions and workshops aimed at highlighting the interest in the cultural dimension of tourism and the effective tools to develop and promote the growth of tourism in Saudi Arabia. He added that the forum also introduced ready job opportunities at tourism institutes, during a special session titled "Career Day", aimed at harnessing the potential of Saudi nationals in the economic and tourism areas. Investment in Saudi Arabia's travel and tourism industry would increase by 6.7 percent in 2012, and rise by 3.3 percent yearly over the next 10 years to SR29.5 billion in 2022, representing 4.5 percent of the Kingdom's total investment, the WTTC) said. Ziyad Bin Mahfouz is a member of the tourism development council for the Makkah region under the chairmanship of Prince Khalid Al Faisal, Emir of Makkah, and the Tourism Development Council in Jeddah, under the chairmanship of Prince Mishal Bin Majed Bin Abdulaziz, Governor of Jeddah.
