As Saudi Arabia's outbound tourism rises brought about by marked increase in the number of Saudis participating in specialized international conferences, Elaf Group, a leading provider of travel, tourism and hospitality products and services in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), has announced that it is organizing group tours for participants of international conferences focusing on key global issues that are of interest to the Saudi community, most notably medical conferences to be held in Bahrain, Paris and Barcelona. Elaf Group pointed out that it is fully committed to providing best-of-breed services in accordance with the highest international standards, while helping ensure the participation of a large number of Saudi specialists and professionals in the medical and healthcare sectors, who will help discuss the latest developments, know-how and practices in medicine and the pharmaceutical industry. Ziyad Ahmed Bin Mahfouz, CEO of Elaf Group, said: “Our main aim in organizing these specialized tours for international medical conferences and forums is to contribute towards the enhancement of know-how and expertise of the specialists in the area of medicine and the pharmaceutical industry in the Kingdom. We also aim to help spread awareness about best practices and the latest technological advances in these fields of expertise.” Majid Kaki, deputy general manager at Elaf Group, said: “Elaf provides those groups with a comprehensive range of high-profile services, including ticket bookings, hotel reservations, securing visas, providing airport transportation to and from the hotels in the host countries, coordinating and organizing recreational activities, and other services.” Elaf Group, the leading provider of hotel, travel, tourism and shipping services, as well as restaurants, transportation and Haj and Umrah services, has made significant investments to develop the capabilities and professional expertise of its team of specialists with the aim of providing the best services in accordance with the highest international standards and to help meet the growing demand for travel bookings from groups and companies. The Group has been highly successful across various facets of its business, including coordinating tours for conferences and forums in various fields, whether medical, scientific, educational or economic-oriented events. A report in March 2009 by the World Travel & Tourism Council, forecast that in 2009 the travel and tourism sector was expected to generate $27.2 billion of economic activity, equivalent to 7.2 percent of total gross domestic product, and this is set to rise to 9.2 percent ($78.4 billion) by 2019. Direct industry employment was expected to rise from 7.3 percent of total employment in the Kingdom in 2009 to 9.4 percent, equating to around 922,000 jobs, by 2019. The potential is illustrated by government plans, announced in February 2010, to build a $13 billion ‘tourist city' in Al-Oqair, just south of Al-Khobar on the Kingdom's eastern coast, and on the Red Sea coast, the government has identified sites for development in Tabuk, Yanbu, Makkah, Asir and Jizan provinces. The SCTA has stated that the planned Red Sea resorts would lead to a total of 557,000 hotel rooms being brought online, creating 413,000 jobs in the process.
