Saudi Gazette report

RIYADH — The Ministry of Tourism has announced the appointment of Gloria Guevara Manzo as a Chief Special Advisor at Ministry of Tourism. Gloria is a former Mexican Secretary of Tourism and former CEO and president of the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC).

As a Chief Special Advisor to the Minister of Tourism, Gloria will utilize her experience of over 25 years in the public and private tourism sector, to contribute to strengthening international cooperation, developing the skills of human cadres, and supporting ambitious tourism plans and large-scale investments that are being implemented within the framework of the Kingdom's Vision 2030.

The Minister of Tourism Ahmed Al-Khatib affirmed that the tourism sector in Saudi Arabia is experiencing a comprehensive developmental prosperity since the launch of the National Tourism Strategy in September 2019.

The sector already contributes to supporting growth and job generation throughout the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, in line with Vision 2030 under the leadership of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman and Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman.

Gloria said on her twitter account after making the announcement that she’s looking forward to continue working on the recovery of amazing travel and tourism sector.

“Absolutely and I am convinced that Minister Ahmed Al-Khatib will be very successful positioning the Kingdom as top tourism destination and creating 1 million jobs.”

Last March, the Ministry of Tourism launched a campaign entitled "Your Future Tourism", which aims to provide 100,000 job opportunities for national cadres in the tourism sector by the end of 2021, as part of its strategy to develop human capital, with the aim of creating one million jobs by the end of 2030.

It aims to develop the capabilities of male and female national cadres through various training and qualification programs, and providing them with the job skills that support them in obtaining the appropriate jobs.

The "Your Future Tourism" campaign comprises a number of incentives, including an increase in the wage subsidy rate for a period of two years, which will stimulate the private sector with more youthful energies, cover all the needs of the tourism sector and localize the targeted jobs.

It is noteworthy that, in October last year, the ministry launched a strategy for developing human capital in the tourism sector, which includes development programs for national cadres aimed at gradual work on localizing jobs in the tourism sector, ensuring the availability of qualified cadres to fill these jobs, and providing the highest standards of quality education.