RIYADH: Saudi Arabia is on track to change the map of tourism on a global level, according to a top minister.  

Participating in a dialogue session on the sidelines of the 50th UN Tourism Regional Commission for the Middle East taking place from May 22 to 24 in Muscat, Saudi Tourism Minister Ahmed Al-Khateeb stressed that the Kingdom is working in cooperation with regional member states of the organization to further develop the industry. 

This is in line with Saudi Arabia’s National Tourism Strategy, which aims to reach 150 million visitors by 2030, grow the private sector’s contribution, and attract direct foreign investments, adding to the economic growth and diversification. 

“The Kingdom will change the map of tourism in the world, and the opportunities and facilities that we provide to investors will make the tourism sector more attractive, and we are proceeding in a distinctive way in building the sector,” Al-Khateeb affirmed. 

During the session, the minister also indicated that Saudi Arabia has begun to develop the tourism division as part of its Vision 2030 plan, noting that the development efforts have succeeded in raising the sector’s contribution from 3 percent of the local economy to 4.5 percent by the end of the last year.  

Al-Khateeb also drew attention to the fact that the Middle East has great potential and natural resources that enable it to become one of the most important tourist destinations in the world.  

He explained that the countries in the region are moving as a single bloc in the right direction regarding developing the tourism sector, as they have begun designing plans and strategies to benefit from this promising industry.  

The minister highlighted that attracting and qualifying the national human resources are two important factors for developing the regional sector, stressing that the Saudi Ministry of Tourism pays great attention to the issue of qualifying national cadres working in the field. 

The body also works to attract young men and women in the Kingdom to work in the industry. 

In April, the deputy minister of destination enablement at the Ministry of Tourism said that Saudi Arabia is open to readjusting its goal of attracting 150 million visitors by 2030 if those numbers are achieved ahead of time.  

Speaking in an interview with Arab News on the sidelines of the first day of the Future Hospitality Summit in Riyadh, Mahmoud Abdulhadi explained that goals are adjusted based on performance.    

“As we hit our target seven years ahead of target, our 100 million target, we therefore now have a new goal. I’m sure if we were to hit that new target with a significant overperformance in terms of the timeline, our targets would also be adjusted,” Abdulhadi said.

RIYADH: The chief of Saudi Arabia’s artificial intelligence authority took part in a top-level summit on AI held in South Korea from May 21-22.

Co-hosted by South Korea and the UK, the summit focused on international cooperation in data and AI, as well as preparations for the third edition of the Global AI Summit, hosted in Riyadh by the Saudi Data and AI Authority in September.

The authority’s president, Abdullah bin Sharaf Al-Ghamdi, in a roundtable discussion at the Seoul summit, said that AI technologies will “experience significant developments” that will result in more efficient and scalable models capable of handling a wider range of tasks.

He highlighted the significance of open-source AI, which fuels innovation and reshapes the technological landscape. A goal of the summit was to explore the transformative potential of open-source AI and open-access databases, he added.

“Open-source AI has the capability to add flexible character to technology, making advanced tools and algorithms accessible to a broad spectrum of creators, such as large companies and individual developers,” Al-Ghamdi said.

This inclusivity accelerates technological advancement through collaboration and ensures a level of transparency in the digital age, Al-Ghamdi added, calling for robust governance frameworks, international cooperation and continuous public awareness efforts to mitigate risks.

Governments require strategies that balance the need for open-source databases to fuel AI innovations while protecting individual privacy and ensuring data security, a balance that can be achieved through strict data protection laws and technical solutions, the SDAIA chief said.

As data flows transcend national borders, coordinating international standards for data access and privacy becomes critical, he added.

“This requires the presence of globally standardized data protection laws, where local regulations must adapt to address specific cultural and economic contexts. This coordination facilitates smoother data exchange, enhances security and privacy, and helps address global challenges collectively.”

By adopting open-source AI and open databases, “we can bring technology to a larger number of people, promote transparency, and foster a more inclusive technological landscape,” Al-Ghamdi said.

“However, this future also requires effective governance, strong regulatory frameworks, and proactive international collaboration to overcome risks and harness the full potential of AI responsibly.”

The Seoul summit was attended by technology and communications ministers as well as AI experts from countries around the world.