More than 200 young Saudi nationals visited a job fair which was organized by InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) in Madinah last month. Held at InterContinental Dar Al Iman, the job fair is part of a targeted effort by the company to recruit and invest in the Kingdom's young talent. Over the course of the day and a half job fair, the local students, including 10 female, had the chance to gain insight into a career into the hospitality industry with IHG, one of the world's largest hotel groups. There are currently more than 100 upcoming vacancies for Saudi nationals at IHG properties in Madinah alone. Two of the three InterContinental hotels in the city – InterContinental Dar Al Iman and InterContinental Dar Al Hijra – are actively recruiting, as is the soon-to-open Crowne Plaza Madinah, the first Crowne Plaza hotel in the city. Many of those who attended the job fair are already keenly pursuing careers in the hospitality industry as students at IHG's academy partner in Madinah, the Madinah College of Tourism & Hospitality. Pascal Gauvin, Chief Operating Officer, India, Middle East and Africa for IHG, said: “We have a long history in Saudi Arabia – we opened our first hotel here in 1975. The country continues to be a key market for us and our dedication to the Kingdom is reflected in our investment in its local talent. I wish these young hoteliers the best of luck in their future hospitality careers.” IHG is currently the largest international hotel group in Saudi Arabia, both by number of hotels and by number of rooms. The company has 22 hotels open in the Kingdom and plans ambitious growth over the next five years with eight hotels in the development pipeline. – SG
