28 April 2016
Riyadh - Saudi Arabia is ranked first in the Middle East and 36th internationally for job opportunities in the tourism and the travel sector, according to the Travel and Tourism Index 2015.

The annual index, issued by the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), also ranked the Kingdom first in the Middle East and 36th internationally in size of travel and tourism investment in 2015, with a growth rate of 12.1 percent compared to other economic sectors, a Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage official said on Thursday.

He further revealed that the the annual report of the index also indicated that the Kingdom is one of eight countries, where tourism sector growth exceeded the growth rate of the national economy by 2015.
Other countries include Iceland, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Qatar, Thailand and Uganda.

The WTTC report further revealed that the tourism industry has supported the global economy with a large number of jobs, noting that travel and tourism industries have added 7.2 million jobs last year across the world, in addition to supporting 284 million inter-related jobs.

According to the report, by the year 2015, travel and tourism sectors had grown 3.1 percent, contributing to about 9.8 percent in the global GDP.

WTTC serves as an umbrella for travel and tourism companies in the world and its membership consists of hundreds of global tourism corporate leaders, presidents and executives along with 130 international tourist companies.

© Arab News 2016