The Forum of Gulf Tourism and Development was inaugurated here today. Prince Sultan bin Salman bin Abdul Aziz, the Secretary General of the Tourism Higher Authority, led the Saudi delegation to the Forum.
In a paper entitled “Horizons of Tourism Development in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia”, Prince Sultan bin Salman emphasized the Kingdom’s interest in the tourism industry as a means of achieving social development. He reviewed tourist activities in the Kingdom, highlighting the establishment of the Tourism Higher Authority, headed by Prince Sultan bin Abdul Aziz, the Second Deputy Premier, Minister of Defence and Aviation and Inspector General.
Prince Sultan bin Salman pointed out that there were 65.1 million tourist trips to the Kingdom, including 57.6 million domestic excursions, in the year 2002, noting that tourism revenues formed 8.8% of the Kingdom’s gross domestic product in that year. He predicted that tourist excursions to and within the Kingdom would reach 141 million by the year 2020, and that the tourism sector will provide between 1.5 and 2.3 million job opportunities.
Source: SPA
