Saudi Gazette report

ROME — Minister of Tourism Ahmed Al-Khateeb said that Saudi Arabia is an exemplary global model through providing training and increasing women's participation in the tourism workforce to nearly 50%. He made the remarks while leading Saudi Arabia’s delegation participating in the 25th World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) Global Summit, held in Rome from September 28 to 30.

"The Kingdom is a global model to be emulated, as it has succeeded in providing hundreds of thousands of training opportunities and increasing women's participation in the tourism workforce to nearly 50%,” the minister said. “These numbers become even more significant when considering the sector's future projections, as one-third of the new jobs globally to be added by 2035 will come from the travel and tourism sector, making it a unique engine for global economic growth,” he said.

The tourism summit brought together leading experts, policymakers, and industry leaders from more than 70 countries. During the summit, the Kingdom highlighted a global model that has achieved inspiring successes in the areas of supporting innovation, enhancing international cooperation, and preparing and qualifying workers in the tourism sector.

Al-Khateeb participated in a series of key events within the summit's activities over three days, launching the report "Future of work in travel and tourism" in collaboration with the WTTC, and participated in a main panel discussion titled "Connecting continents: Crafting collaborative tourism policies for a more interconnected future."

On the sidelines of the summit, he held a series of meetings with global leaders from the public and private sectors, including a roundtable session with prominent private-sector chief executives.

"The report launched by the Kingdom in collaboration with the council highlights the expected challenges in the global travel and tourism sector and proposes solutions to address them, at a time when we are seeing the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) and digital innovation in restructuring jobs and defining new professional roles,” Al-Khateeb said.

The "Future of Work in Travel and Tourism" report, prepared by the WTTC in collaboration with the Ministry of Tourism and leading global research institutions, predicts a significant labor shortage in the sector exceeding 43 million workers in the economies of 20 major countries by 2035.

The report also sheds light on the growing demand for digital, AI, and sustainability skills, alongside increasing pressures on hospitality jobs, where the labor shortage is expected to reach 8.6 million workers (an 18% gap), confirming the need for urgent and coordinated action.

The report indicates that the Kingdom's success in qualifying and empowering national workers in the tourism sector has become a global model. Since 2020, the Kingdom has provided more than 946,000 training opportunities in the tourism sector for its workers and those wishing to join it. It has also succeeded in raising the percentage of women's participation to 46% of the total workforce in the Saudi tourism sector. These achievements have been realized through numerous programs and initiatives implemented by the ministry, including the application of national professional skills standards.

The progress reflects the ambitious goals set by Saudi Vision 2030, which aims to transform the Kingdom into a leading global tourist destination through investment in digital innovation, sustainable development, and enhancing connectivity with tourist destinations. The Kingdom has recorded significant successes in its tourism sector's journey, exceeding the 100 million mark for domestic and international tourists for the second consecutive year in 2024.

During the summit, the minister of tourism extended an invitation to ministers, chief executives, and partners in the global tourism sector to attend the 26th session of the UN Tourism General Assembly, to be hosted by Riyadh from November 7 to 11, in addition to the Touraize forum, the first of its kind globally, organized by the Kingdom from November 11 to 13. The two events will serve as leading global platforms for dialogue and joint action aimed at developing human capital, stimulating investment, and integrating smart technologies into policies for activating tourist destinations.