Prince Salman Bin Abdul Aziz, Emir of Riyadh Region, attended the opening ceremony of the Saudi Travel and Tourism Investment Market (STTIM) 2011 in Riyadh Sunday. The forum is organized by the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA). (SPA photo) RIYADH: Prince Salman Bin Abdul Aziz, Emir of Riyadh Region, patronized here Sunday the opening ceremony of the Saudi Travel and Tourism Investment Market (STTIM) 2011 organized by the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA). Addressing the forum, Prince Salman highlighted the prosperity and stability of the Kingdom and the good relationship between the leadership and citizens.??He emphasized the vital role of domestic tourism in linking citizens to their history. He said he expects domestic tourism to record phenomenal growth and pointed out that the total income from domestic tourism totaled SR73.3 billion in 2010 and is expected to reach SR101.3 billion in 2011. He said tourism accounted for three percent of the country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2006. He added that more than 342,000 employees are working in the tourism sector in the Kingdom in areas related to hotels, furnished apartments, cafes and entertainment facilities. In a speech, Prince Sultan Bin Salman Bin Abdul Aziz, President of the SCTA, expressed his gratitude to Prince Salman for patronizing the forum. He outlined the significant initiatives undertaken by the commission especially the restructuring of the tourism sector in the Kingdom, the acceptance of domestic tourism in society and the recognition of the importance of national heritage. He said the SCTA has also managed to get the private sector involved in investment in the sector. Adel Fakieh, Minister of Labor, addressed the forum and stressed the importance of the sector in creating thousands of jobs. He said the ministry is in the process of linking its database with that of the commission to register job opportunities in the sector. This will allow the ministry to determine the skills training needed. He said the ministry will train job seekers in coordination with the Human Resources Development Fund and the General Establishment for Technical and Vocational Training. He said the tourism strategy adopted by the commission will see the creation of 1.5 million direct and indirect jobs. Fakieh said a statistical report issued by the commission showed the tremendous increase in job opportunities in the tourism sector. A report released by the National Project of Human Resources showed the sector has secured 458,000 direct job opportunities by the end of 2009 of which 26 percent were filled by Saudis. The report expects that the commission will generate 590,000 jobs by the end of 2014. He said these statistics show the sector can contribute to solving the unemployment problem in the country. He said the ministry will strengthen its work with the SCTA to ensure Saudis are employed.
