WTTC congratulates KSA on formidable commitment to tourism growth

JEDDAH: The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) commended Saudi Arabia on their commitment to prioritizing travel and tourism in the country, and congratulated Prince Sultan bin Salman on the honor he received from the UNWTO for his global leadership and contribution.
Gloria Guevara, president and CEO of the WTTC, said: “The Saudi Arabian government has been a great example to the travel and tourism public sector in prioritizing tourism growth in the country in order to generate further economic wealth and jobs as the country diversifies their income streams.”
“I especially want to congratulate President of the Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage (SCTH) Prince Sultan for receiving the honor by the UNWTO for his international leadership in innovating tourism in his Kingdom. The prince is a great ally for the tourism sector and I am proud of his accomplishments, highlighting the Kingdom’s cultural heritage as an important attraction for tourism.”
Guevara added: “Travel and tourism is a hugely important economic and social stimulator for countries’ economies, and as it is such a resilient sector with global forecast growth of 4 percent per annum over the next decade, investing in the sector is a wise and safe thing to do.”
The Kingdom has grown more than 60 percent in tourism under Prince Sultan’s leadership. The WTTC forecast a 6.4 percent growth of travel and tourism in Saudi Arabia which is well above the global average of 3.6 percent forecast growth for 2017, while employment figures are expected to rise by 3.7 percent in 2017.
Guevara met with Prince Sultan at the UNWTO General Assembly in Chengdu, China earlier this month, where they discussed the country’s tourism strategy and the push to expand Saudi Arabian private and public investments in this important sector.