Tourism Jobs in Saudi Arabia

The economy of Saudi Arabia is on development track after the slow recovery from global economic downturn. Various industries in hospitality sector like travel and tourism, aviation, etc. are especially picking up at a fast pace in Saudi Arabia.

The global slowdown has certainly taken its toll on the travel and tourism industry in Saudi Arabia while affecting the related markets like travel accommodation, airlines, car rental, etc. But, this holy place seems to be surviving the crisis rather well by keeping a positive outlook toward both domestic and international markets. The travel industry of Saudi Arabia is hugely dominated by religious and domestic tourism, it being the ‘birthplace of Islam'. Therefore, the inbound travel is sure to recover as the Hajj trip is more of an obligation and demonstration of faith for Muslims across the world. On the other hand, domestic tourism is less costly and increasingly popular in Saudi Arabia. A considerable growth is expected in coming years in both the areas though outbound travel internationally may take some more time to catch up.

The increasing efforts of government to boost the tourism market have reaped results. This has led to generation of large number of tour and travel jobs in Saudi Arabia. These jobs await well trained and experienced professionals from around the world to fill in the vacancies. The tourism sector generates huge revenue for the economy of Saudi Arabia and has employed nearly 4 lakhs people. Tourism jobs in Saudi Arabia can be found in hotels, restaurants, resorts, entertainment, furnished apartments, travel agencies, transportation and other areas.

Saudi government is launching various initiatives to reduce dependence on oil and petroleum exports. Considering the potential of tourism industry, boosting this sector is on high priority for the government. Saudis are encouraged to spend money within the country while the strong cultural and religious beliefs bring in thousands of Muslim tourists every year. The large scale investments and concentration on developing the sector by the government has created many tourism jobs in Saudi Arabia.

Saudi Arabia is the hottest destination for international tourists in the Middle East. The religious tourism accounts for nearly two-third and international tourism for one-third of all tourism revenue. The hotel industry in Saudi Arabia is also a prominent money spinner as its occupancy goes as high as 60% during the pilgrimage season. Various five-star and three-star hotels as well as residential and commercial units are coming up to provide accommodation to thousand s of tourists who throng the cities of Mecca and Medina every year.

The strict rules and requirements for visa hamper the smooth inflow of foreign tourists in the country. The government is working on the issue to ease the process as this will help boost the tourism industry of the Kingdom. Further, it will help promote Saudi as a holiday destination since it boasts of nice weather, beaches, fishing and diving. Being a religious tourism hub already, it is in line to become the holiday destination soon. This approach will definitely help multiply tourism revenue along with jobs in tourism in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

The transportation system will also be improved to smooth commuting during peak season. The influx of tourists will be handled by the five new airports, terminals, high speed railway network, etc. coming up by next year. These developments suffice to realize the employment potential in tourism and travel sector of Saudi Arabia.
Tourism jobs in Gulf offer huge scope for expatriates to get employed and earn huge salaries. One may look for them in newspapers, on company websites or on online job portals.