The Ministry of Tourism launched the “Tourism Pioneers” initiative at a cost of 375 million, which aims to develop the capabilities of 100,000 young men and women and provide them with key skills in the field of hospitality, tourism, and travel to prepare them to work in the booming tourism sector in the Kingdom.
The initiative was launched by the Minister of Tourism, Ahmed bin Aqeel Al-Khatib, during the 116th session of the Executive Council of the World Tourism Organization in Jeddah, where the “Tourism Pioneers” will contribute to providing extensive global expertise in the field to the future leaders of the tourism sector in the Kingdom.
The Minister of Tourism said: “We must invest in our youth today and create a skilled and ambitious workforce to support the tourism sector at the regional and global levels, as this plays a major role in achieving the Kingdom’s Vision 2030. This program demonstrates our commitment to empowering young people by providing them with the necessary skills and support. And provide them with opportunities to pave the way for the future of the tourism sector.”
Minister Al-Khatib indicated that the program includes three objectives based on developing skills in the field of tourism, and sponsoring and supporting it. It also aims to establish a culture of professionalism and help new professionals expand their knowledge and qualifications necessary to enter the field and support their career paths by refining their skills. The program will help the trainees to find opportunities working in the sector.
He stressed that this program and others are directed towards achieving the goals of the National Tourism Strategy and the Kingdom’s Vision 2030, including creating one million new jobs by 2030, noting that highly specialized programs will contribute to providing beneficiaries with the skills and qualifications necessary to enter the labor market with confidence.
For his part, the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Tourism for the Development of Tourism Human Capabilities, Muhammad Bushnaq, indicated that the financial investment of this size shows the determination of tourism to provide young people with the tools they need to achieve success, indicating that the attractiveness of work in the tourism sector among young men and women rose to more than 75%, stressing that support The dreams of “tourism pioneers” in the Kingdom and enabling their education in the most prestigious academies around the world is a central goal at a time when the Kingdom is emerging as a key leader in the sector at the global level.
Participants in the program will benefit from training grants in the most prominent local and international institutes in France, Spain, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, Australia, and Italy. In addition to accepting applications from recent graduates, applications from Saudis working in the sector and who aspire to build a career in the fields of tourism, hospitality, and travel will be accepted.