The Undersecretary of the Saudi Ministry of Tourism Ali Fahd Hammad revealed in press statements that 37% of tourism workers were fired over the past few years, without giving further details.
A state-run “Tourism Pioneers” program aims to prepare 100,000 job-seekers for a field that government officials insist is set to take off.
Some 850,000 currently work in the sector, only 26 percent of them Saudis, according to official figures.
The new program was recently launched to equip 100,000 young Saudis with the key hospitality skills needed to pursue careers in the Kingdom’s tourism industry.
MBS Hit by Fox News Reporter
A footage was widely shared on social media showing a prominent Fox News presenter while criticising Saudi tourism ambitions as ridiculous.
The presenter pointed to the Crown Prince’s failure to turn the Kingdom into a tourism destination away from Hajj and Umrah visits.
“I think Riyadh is miserable and I don’t want to spend a moment there,” she said. “The very repressive kingdom now wants to be a leading tourism destination.”
MBS believes that people can ignore women abuse and journalists’killing and enjoy the Saudi generous sunlight, she continued.
MBS’ failed feasibility studies
The Wall Street Journals has earlier revealed that Saudi Arabia is set to spent $1 trillion over the next decade to become a tourist hotspot.
However, intrepid first movers are finding a travel destination not quite ready for them.
The paper quoted an American tourist who spent her vacation in Saudi Arabia, as saying: “We got to see the country at the beginning of its opening up. But that meant we saw a lot of random things that will not be popular tourist destinations.”
Fear of Criticism
According to the paper, Saudi Arabia’s sensitivity to criticism is a stumbling stone for improvement. A new law prohibits “damaging the reputation of tourism,” a vague and ominous ruling in a country whose human-rights record is already a turnoff to many.
Khashoggi Looms Again
The 2018 killing of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi also looms large for Western visitors. “The question of Khashoggi always comes up,” said Bill Jones, who has led three American tour groups to Saudi Arabia since 2019.
