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00:00Welcome, everyone, and I hope, on the contrary, as I mentioned to you a little while ago,
00:07Alhamdulillah, we are in the tourism sector in Saudi Arabia.
00:13We have seen many developments in the sector in the last five years,
00:17since the launch of the National Tourism Strategy, which was launched by the Ministry of Tourism.
00:24Alhamdulillah, by the end of 2023,
00:29approximately 100 million people visited Saudi Arabia.
00:34And Alhamdulillah, in order to achieve these numbers,
00:38a lot of effort was made by many people in the sector.
00:44This came through the Ministry of Tourism, the Saudi Tourism Organization,
00:48the Tourism Development Fund,
00:50and there was a focus on many elements that support this approach and support the strategy.
00:56There was not only a focus on the creation of products in Saudi Arabia,
01:01as I mentioned in your report.
01:02Today, Alhamdulillah, there are many prominent tourism destinations in Saudi Arabia.
01:09Also, the launch of the first stages of many tourism projects, such as…
01:15Mr. Fahd, pardon the interruption.
01:18If we talk about the private sector today,
01:21to what extent did it benefit from these government initiatives?
01:25We also saw the entry of foreign companies at the beginning of this year,
01:30which moved its headquarters to the Kingdom.
01:32What is the role of these companies today in supporting and benefiting from government initiatives?
01:39Alhamdulillah, the presence of the large movement that attracted visitors to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
01:45and the initiatives to establish many activities in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,
01:49as was announced the establishment of Expo 2030 in the Kingdom,
01:53the establishment, God willing, of the World Cup,
01:56and the role of the Asian Games in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
02:01All these activities benefit the private sector in increasing the targets of companies
02:10that work in the tourism sector, as well as achieving figures.
02:13Of course, the percentage of work in hotels, for example, has increased significantly,
02:19especially in the city of Riyadh, which has a very large movement in establishing many activities.
02:24As well as many seasonal activities that take place in Al-Ula, Asir,
02:29in the south of the Kingdom in the summer season.
02:32Alhamdulillah, the existence of such a movement and support by the government sectors
02:38will greatly support the private sector.
02:40Today, Alhamdulillah, we have very large companies with many international companies
02:45to invest in the tourism sector.
02:48Today, the Kingdom has become an integral part of the global tourism system,
02:53as well as many initiatives.
02:56Do you have any estimates of foreign investment in the tourism sector in the Kingdom these days?
03:04Today, Alhamdulillah, the figures have changed significantly.
03:09And Alhamdulillah, today I am talking to you here in the United Arab Emirates.
03:12Tomorrow, we will have a participation in the Arab travel market,
03:17which is perhaps the biggest event in the region to highlight the efforts of each country
03:24in its tourism products.
03:26The Saudi Tourism Organization's participation will be very large,
03:29and we are one of the participating companies with them.
03:32We have signed many agreements with large international companies
03:37with the aim of highlighting Saudi tourism products,
03:41as well as highlighting hotels in the Kingdom.
03:45I think there is a lot of growth in this regard.
03:50But if I were to mention the figures,
03:52the rate of employment in hotels exceeds 80% in the city of Riyadh,
03:57as well as in many cities in the Kingdom,
03:59exceeding the rate we are used to.
04:02Alhamdulillah, things are going well.
04:05We also expect a very large growth,
04:08even in reducing unemployment rates,
04:11increasing employment rates,
04:13and increasing human capital for Saudi employees and Saudis in the tourism sector.
04:18Yes.
04:19Mr. Fahad, if we want to highlight today,
04:22what is special in the Kingdom is the diversity in tourism sectors,
04:26whether there is religious tourism or historical tourism.
04:30Today, we were talking about the role related to sports tourism,
04:36and focusing on international sports activities that the Kingdom will host.
04:40In your opinion, to what extent is Saudi Arabia working hard
04:43to achieve this kind of activities,
04:45and to prove its name also in the international arena?
04:50I think today, the solidarity and cooperation between the government,
04:56the authorities, and the legislators in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,
04:59and I think this is a feature of the tourism sector,
05:01as it is in line with many sectors and systems in the market.
05:06Today, if there is growth in the tourism sector,
05:10it will affect the restaurants sector, the hotels sector, the airlines sector.
05:13I would like to talk about the international sports event,
05:16I mean, sports tourism in particular.
05:19Sport is an integral part of the events that show any country on the tourist map.
05:27Today, thank God, the efforts of the Ministry of Sport
05:30and many events that take place in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
05:33make us excited to work.
05:37Today, also the investment in sports tourism
05:41and the experiments related to any sporting event.
05:44Today, if there are many matches and many international events,
05:50such as the World Wrestling Championship and the Snooker Championship,
05:53these events bring many tourism activities
06:00that contribute to the local tourism sector
06:05and increase spending in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
06:08by visitors from outside the Kingdom or by local tourists.
06:13Yes, Mr. Fahad, since you are the CEO of the Hukair Tourism and Development Group,
06:17I would also like to ask about the size of your investments
06:20as a company specializing in tourism investment.
06:25How big are your goals in the coming years?
06:30Thank God, the Hukair Group has been in the sector since 1972.
06:37It is one of the companies that entered the tourism sector in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
06:41And today, thank God, the tourism system has undergone great development.
06:45We are working hard with the executive management
06:48as well as our investors in the company
06:52to revive many of our existing tourism programs
06:59as well as to continue investing in the hotel sector.
07:04Also, since we are investors in the Hukair Tourism…
07:07So, in terms of numbers,
07:09to be sure about these numbers that you are focusing on in the coming period.
07:15Today, thank God, the annual sales of the company are approximately 750 million.
07:20We hope to increase it and continue to grow the company's business in 2024
07:25and also in the coming years, God willing.
07:30We expect, God willing, an increase in growth
07:33that is very much in line with what is happening in the market these days, God willing.