Regional focus
too. “It’s no secret that a major source of tourists to Saudi’s tourism developments will be the domestic and regional markets,” says Homsy, “at least for a few years until the international tourist influx ramps up to significant levels”. This is clear in the numbers, especially in light of the pandemic. According to one poll earlier this year, 80% of Saudis planned to travel domestically in 2021.
Education nation
Saudi Arabia is one of the youngest countries on earth. 37% of the population is below the age of 14, and three-quarters are younger than 30. These are people raised, moreover, in one of the most generous benefits systems on earth. Education and healthcare are free, the subsidies lavish, and the jobs, often in sluggish government ministries, plentiful. To put it another way, this is a generation broadly unused to the rigours of work. Though Saudi Arabia currently hosts around ten million foreign guest workers, after all, the ongoing hospitality boom is aimed at giving opportunities to native Saudis. The Red Sea Project, to give one example, could one day provide jobs for 35,000 people. Could – but not will. To ensure they do, Saudi society will have to change into one where service isn’t seen as shabby or demeaning. That means developing the infrastructure to go with swanky new hotels, including
airports and roads, of course, but also schools. “The success of the tourism and hospitality sector will depend on the progress of other public service sectors,” Homsy argues, “all of which serve each other’s growth.” To be fair, there are signs that the country is moving in the right direction. Sommet Education, the famed Swiss hotel school, signed a deal with the kingdom’s Tourism Development Fund. The kingdom has also investigated the power of educational apps. Nor is state intervention limited to education. Though foreign operators are rushing to the peninsula, the authorities in Riyadh clearly have a hand in where they go. Apart from boosting the national coffers, investing in hospitality offers Saudi Arabia’s population a genuine future without oil. Yet if this means foreign multinationals have to split their profits with the state, immense projects like the Red Sea Project would probably be impossible without princely munificence. At the same time, Mohammed bin Salman, the country’s de facto leader, seems happy to keep signing cheques. A case in point is Amaala, planned for the Red Sea coast near Jordan – a “megaproject”, which promises 2,500 hotel rooms, 700 villas and 200 shops, galleries and marinas. It’s perfect, in short, for a hotel firm in a hurry. Comparing the Abraj Al-Bait to those forgotten sepia shots of Mecca reminds us, at least, of how quickly things move when money’s on the line. ●
73,057
The new rooms spanning the gamut from Radisson to Hilton, that’s expected to increase the national room capacity by more than 67% – the highest among the world’s 50 most populated countries. STR
200
years before Saudi’s oil reserve runs dry. Worldometers
Hotel Management International /
www.hmi-online.com
29
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73
