“Haiya Jeddah” (Come to Jeddah). The 2nd Jeddah festival, will be held through Jan. 9-Feb. 7 this year, the official announcement of which was made by Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JCCI) at a press conference in Jeddah on Sunday.
As the festival will be held in cooperation and support of retail and tourism sectors, a ceremony signing contracts with the participants and businessmen also took place on Sunday at the premises of JCCI.
The festival aims to enhance tourism and business of the port city locally and regionally, and is expected to draw about 1.5 million visitors.
“With the launch of this 2nd Jeddah shopping festival we are expecting 1.5 million visitors from the Kingdom as also from Gulf countries,” said Mazen bin Mohammed Batterjee, the vice chairman at JCCI.
Speaking about the first festival, Mr. Mazen said it was very successful as it had one million visitors then and hoped more visitors this year “due to the timings of the inauguration of the new site of Corniche helped by the spring break when the weather will be also favorable.”
Tourists visiting Jeddah this year will enjoy more, he said.
The JCCI, according to him, is targeting the Saudis as well as the people from the Gulf region. Jeddah will serve them for multi-purpose activities.
He said that with the participation of six major malls and a number of companies and shopping stores, visitors will find numerous activities as theater, entrainment programs, fireworks, artistic performance, contests, competitions, games and a large discounted sale.
The annual fair will bring in great opportunities too for good investment in Jeddah, as the city is the commercial hub of the country, he said.
Many gifts on the occasion will be distributed that will include six cars and more than 20,000 other gifts that will be given out every day at different locations, he told the media.
“At JCCI we are helping and pushing for the new trends, festivals and entertainment with shopping and cultural activities. The Jeddah municipality, health sector, and Jeddah traffic department are with us in helping and supporting for a smooth and successful festival,” he said.
JCCI General Secretary Adnan bin Husain Mandoura said the festival, combined with the opening of new North Corniche, will bring a new wave of enjoyment in the western region. The North Corniche has been refurbished with facilities meeting international standards of family tourism.
The month-long festival will be a great seasonal occasion for shopping, entrainment, hotels, resorts, tourists and business, the different activities will take place in major shopping malls, and on Corniche throughout the month,” said Mandoura.
“We are grateful for the cooperation of our stake holders, and with the new look of the Western Jeddah we are expecting it to be a more successful, which will set a new record,” he added.
He also said that the main focus of this spring break festival will be to make Jeddah the first and foremost shopping destination.
Ibrahim Dahlan, the deputy general secretary, said that retail sales last year grew to 70 percent, and this year with the participation of 2,000 shops and six malls the fair is expecting to have a bigger sale.
Dahlan also said that JCCI will try to organize more festival with the cooperation of Supreme Commission for Tourism to promote domestic tourism, as festivals will be held on Eid-ul-fitr and Haj holidays.
Visitors can log on Jeddah festival website for festival information and activities; the information will also be available on twitter, facebook and YouTube.
Jeddah festival to attract 1.5 million visitors
Jeddah festival to attract 1.5 million visitors
Saudia Group graduates 1,200 aviation trainees at landmark ceremony
- ‘This opportunity felt like a dream,’ culinary arts student says
- ‘Human capital remains our most important investment,’ transport minister says
JEDDAH: Saudia Group held its first unified graduation ceremony for trainees of its aviation programs on Saturday, marking one of the largest such events ever held in the Kingdom’s aviation sector.
The ceremony, in Jeddah, brought together more than 1,200 students who had completed specialized training programs and will now join the company’s workforce.
Mohammed Midher, a 32-year-old captain and graduate of the six-month aerospace engineering program, told Arab News: “Every difficulty becomes easy with hard work and dedication.
“I am very happy to graduate and grateful for this valuable opportunity provided by the Saudia Group.
“It was a chance to prove our skills and capabilities and we will be starting our jobs soon. I am very excited to lead the aircraft to destinations around the world.”
Nesreen Jomaa, a graduate of the Culinary Arts Academy’s one-year ZDAK program, said the training enhanced her professional growth.
“I already had experience in culinary arts and had worked in several hotels in Jeddah, so I came in with strong knowledge.
“This opportunity felt like a dream because it guarantees employment upon completion. It added so much to my professional growth and I also gained many wonderful friends within this field.”
Ashwaq Khaja, who completed the same program, said: “I am proud to be Saudi and proud of everything the group has provided for us.
“I have a bachelor’s degree in science management and I am a visual artist. Today, I aspire to combine visual art with culinary art. I am truly grateful for this opportunity.”
All of the training programs were delivered by Saudia Group and its subsidiaries, Saudia, Saudia Academy, Saudia Technic, Saudi Ground Services, SAL Saudi Logistics Services, flyadeal and Catrion.
The graduates will now take up operational roles in flight operations, ground services, engineering, logistics and customer-facing functions.
The students’ families were present at the graduation event and there was also a performance by a Saudi choral group.
The ceremony also celebrated the first Saudi female graduates in airport aircraft maintenance, with 25 women completing the training program.
Women were also represented in inflight services and onboard chef programs, reflecting their broader inclusion across all disciplines.
“The percentage of women in aviation is increasing year after year,” said Khaled Tash, chief marketing officer of Saudia Group.
“There is no program today from which women are excluded. Every program is open and women are fully enabled and encouraged to join.
“Over the years, we have celebrated ordering new aircraft, building new airports, expanding logistics and investing in infrastructure. But there is nothing we can be more proud of than ensuring we have the right people to lead these growth projects.”
The event was held under the patronage of Saleh Al-Jasser, minister of transport and logistics services, and attended by Ibrahim Al-Omar, director general of Saudia Group, alongside senior officials and aviation sector representatives.
“Developing national talent is fundamental to achieving the ambitions of the National Aviation Strategy,” Al-Jasser said.
“Graduating more than 1,000 aviation professionals in a single year reflects the scale and pace of transformation underway across the Kingdom’s transport and logistics sector.
“Human capital remains our most important investment as we build a globally competitive aviation ecosystem.”
Al-Omar highlighted the company’s progress in localizing roles.
“Saudia Group has made significant progress in localizing critical aviation roles, surpassing targeted performance indicators by margins ranging from 43 percent to 230 percent,” he said.
“We have also embedded knowledge transfer requirements into our agreements with global manufacturers to ensure the development of Saudi capabilities within the Kingdom.
“The next phase of our transformation, particularly as we elevate the guest experience and strengthen global competitiveness, depends on continued investment in specialized national talent.”
The event highlighted the diversity of career paths within the aviation sector, bringing together graduates from operations, maintenance, engineering, cabin services and ground services within an integrated training ecosystem addressing the sector’s full range of needs.
The group has also increased local content levels across its activities from 19 percent in 2019 to 29 percent in 2023, reinforcing its contribution to domestic economic development.
