SCTA President Prince Sultan bin Salman and Labor Minister Adel Fakeih witness the signing of an agreement between the two organizations in Riyadh on Tuesday. (SPA)

The Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA) and the Labor Ministry signed an agreement on Tuesday for setting out an executive program to Saudize jobs in the tourism and heritage sector.

The ministry will estimate job opportunities in the sector until 2020 and set out 56 programs to employ Saudis. SCTA President Prince Sultan bin Salman and Labor Minister Adel Fakeih witnessed the signing ceremony.

Prince Sultan has revealed that serious steps are being taken by the Kingdom to finance investments in national tourism in line with a bold new vision for this important sector.

The SCTA head pointed out that a number of programs to develop the sector have been drafted, and will soon be ready for submission to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques to officially endorse them. “The most important development will involve the project to develop Al-Aqeer to the east of the Kingdom. The project will also include the establishment of a national Tourism Investment Company that is to be entirely owned by the state,” he said.

Prince Sultan bin said that the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques has given strong directions to the finance and other related ministries to speed up the development process of the tourism sector in view of the historical and economic stability that the Kingdom currently enjoys relative to other countries in the unstable region, making it a unique destination that can attract large investments.

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