JobXDubai

As Saudi Arabia gears up to host the prestigious 2030 World Expo in Riyadh, the nation is set to provide a massive influx of job opportunities, with an estimated 250,000 positions becoming available, the country’s Tourism Minister announced.

With an ambitious vision to boost the tourism sector’s contribution from 3% to 10% of its domestic product by 2030, the Kingdom is not only looking at hosting the Expo but also revolutionizing its hospitality industry by adding one million new tourism-related positions over the next decade.

During a Global Labor Market Conference, Ahmed Al Khateeb, the Minister of Tourism, highlighted the National Tourism Strategy’s role, first introduced in 2019, in spearheading this employment drive. He emphasized the creation of sustainable and diverse job opportunities as part of this grand plan, which includes the development of additional 1,000 hotel rooms to accommodate the influx of visitors for the Expo.

At the conference, held under the theme “Accelerated Progress in the Labour Market,” Al Khateeb drew attention to Saudi Arabia’s leadership role in the United Nations World Tourism Organisation. He outlined the Kingdom’s three-fold mission focused on environmental stewardship, providing adequate and meaningful employment, and preserving the cultural integrity of tourist destinations.

The minister also addressed the digital transformation affecting global services, its impact on trades like manufacturing, and the labour market shifts it has precipitated.

Before the pandemic struck, the travel and tourism sector accounted for a significant 10% of the global job market, supporting 330 million jobs worldwide—an industry that was among the hardest hit with the loss of 60 million positions across airlines and hotels.

However, Al Khateeb remained optimistic about the sector’s recovery to pre-pandemic levels, a sentiment backed by agencies like the United Nations World Tourism Organisation and the World Travel and Tourism Council. He reinforced the importance of the human element in the tourism industry, calling it crucial for cultural exchange and global connection.

As Saudi Arabia prepares for the 2030 World Expo and the expected surge in tourism, the promise of hundreds of thousands of job opportunities unfolds, an encouraging prospect for job seekers in Dubai, the UAE, and beyond.