Tag Archives: Hotel Show 2024

Middle East government policy and its pivotal role in the growth of tourism and hospitality sectors globally fell under the spotlight on the second day of The Hotel Show, the undisputed flagship event for the Middle East’s hospitality industry. Speaking during the opening session of the Hospitality Leadership and F&B Forum, Nadeem Zaman, Group Chief Strategy Officer at Rua Al Madinah Holding in Saudi Arabia, explained his company, which is PIF-owned, has a mandate to build 47,000 keys over the next 10 years. The Kingdom as a whole expects to add around a quarter of a million keys by 2030, while the objective is for international tourism to triple from around 26 million to 75 million within that same period. Such goals are impossible without intricate collaboration between government and developers, be it in terms of legislation, policy, or even societal development in general. “It’s all about understanding how we can align interests to make this a win-win situation for everyone,” said Zaman, whose company is partnering with local universities and vocational training hubs to help Saudi citizens earn qualifications and enter the hospitality industry. “Hilton, who we’ve also signed with, have as of today 55 per cent of their workforce Saudi nationals and the first female GM of Hilton was put into Makkah. Imagine that, even five years ago, that was never something that anyone could even contemplate, so it’s about keeping an open mind.” Later in the afternoon, the subject of government policy was raised again during a session on sustainability in hospitality. Highlighting last year’s COP 28 summit and the UAE Government’s engagement, John Timson, Accor’s Vice President for Sustainability and Safety – Premium across the Middle East, …

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