There is more time to think during Ramadan: Just at the beginning of the Muslim fasting month the Government of Saudi Arabia published new plans to strengthen tourism. With new attractions and hotels, the previously state-supporting oil business should become less important. According TOPHOTELPROJECTS, the specialized service provider in the exchange of cutting-edge information between clients and contractors in the international hotel industry currently 137 top hotels with almost 50,000 rooms are in the pipeline.
According to a development business plan of the Saudi crown prince and chief strategist Mohammed Bin Salman, the number of tourists should be increased in the next four years to about 1.5 million. The revenue from tourism should grow by 18 percent in the next 14 years. To achieve this, the travel offer for pilgrims to Makkah and Medina will be expanded and new attractions such as a great Islamic Museum will arise.
In the kingdom, tourism is considered as one of the new key industries in order to become more and more independent of the ailing oil business. According to a study, 167 direct and indirect jobs will be created in the tourism industry with every million US dollars of investment. Thus, a multi-billion dollar investment fund is now to be specially set up for tourism.
Number of hotel projects in Saudi Arabia by selected cities
Riyadh – 45 projects with 10,200 rooms
Makkah – 20 projects with 23,500 rooms
Jeddah – 37 projects with 8,300 rooms
The largest hotel construction projects in Saudi-Arabia
Abraj Kudai Towers – Makkah – 10,000 rooms
Holiday Inn Makkah Abraaj Al Tayseer (phase 2) – Makkah – 3,512 rooms
Four Points by Sheraton Makkah Al Naseem – Makkah – 1,139 rooms
Hilton Riyadh Hotel & Residences – Riyadh – 864 rooms
Hilton Bab Makkah South, Jabal Omar – Makkah – 764 rooms
Source: TOPHOTELPROJECTS
