Saudi- 8,500 tourism jobs to be nationalized 

(MENAFN - Arab News) Chairman of the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities Prince Sultan bin Salman yesterday launched a training program aimed at Saudizing 8,500 jobs in travel and tourism this year.

The program, carried out in association with the Human Resources Development Fund (HRDF), offers 3,000 jobs for Saudis as receptionists in furnished apartments, 4,000 jobs as receptionists in hotels and resorts and 1,500 reservation and ticketing jobs at travel and tourism agencies.

Prince Sultan launched the program while visiting HRDF's headquarters in Riyadh. "This training program is very important to nationalize tourism jobs in an organized manner," he said.

The SCTA chief commended the cooperation between his organization and HRDF to Saudize tourism jobs in different parts of the Kingdom.

He highlighted the potential of the travel and tourism sector in creating more jobs for young Saudi men and women. "This sector can provide suitable jobs to people with different educational and age levels."

Director General of HRDF Ibrahim Al-Moaiqel said his organization has been looking at the tourism sector as an important area for creating jobs for unemployed Saudis. "We are happy to work with SCTA and work out training programs to meet the manpower requirements of the travel and tourism sector," he added.