The head of a global travel council has urged Saudi Arabia to revise its visa policies if it wants to attract more tourists.
Prince Sultan bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, the Saudi culture minister, revealed plans last month to boost tourism revenue as part of the kingdom’s plans to diversify its economy.
“We have been emphasising the importance of travel and tourism as an alternative income stream to oil exporting countries over the last months,” President and CEO of The World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) David Scowsill said. “In order to ensure that the increase in tourism investment will lead to the expected growth, we encourage the government to adopt visa policies that welcome all travellers for business and leisure purposes.”
“Our sector is very resilient and a great economic and social stimulator for a country’s economy. It is important that any country sees this opportunity, but especially for countries where other income streams are contracting, such as oil exporters.”
The Saudi Vision 2030 plans increase tourism investment from $8 billion to $46 billion in the next four years.
The Jeddah Hotel Market Overview report by JLL revealed today that the current supply of 8,600 rooms (Q1 2016) in the Saudi city will double with another 8,600 rooms forecasted by 2018. Other projects in the pipeline include The Ritz Carlton, Radisson Blu Al Salamah, Movenpick City Star, Elaf Galleria and Assila Hotel & Residence by Rocco Forte.
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