RIYADH, 25 December 2004 -- The Supreme Commission for Tourism (SCT) will today launch a "Train the Trainer" workshop in Hail as part of its program to update the managers and supervisors on the importance and methodology of handling tourists in a professional manner.

The choice of Hail as the venue of the training program is significant, since the Kingdom's tourism promotion drive has mostly been focused on Abha, Taif, Madain Saleh and the holy cities of Makkah and Madinah. It is the first time that the focus has shifted to Hail, which has been identified by SCT for its tourism potential in terms of archaeological monuments and museums as well as its status as a protected area for indigenous and migratory birds.

The move also comes in the wake of complaints about ill-treatment of tourists at airports, tourist spots and other places frequented by overseas visitors. In holding the program at Hail, SCT has sent across the message that it will target the Hail Province for the development of tourism and related services.

Dr. Abdullah Alweshail, general manager of the National Project for Tourism Human Resources Development at the SCT, told Arab News that the program was within the framework of SCT's objectives to hone the professional skills of the supervisory staff interacting with tourists. SCT had organized four training courses for tour operators in Riyadh, Jeddah and the Eastern Province earlier this month.

He said these courses were held under the directions of Prince Sultan ibn Salman, secretary-general of SCT, as part of the commission's drive to boost the tourism industry, whose revenues surged from SR3.8 billion in 1992 to SR6.75 billion in 2002.

SCT expects that the Kingdom would be able to reduce spending on tourism abroad by a minimum of 10 percent and maximum of 25 percent during the various stages of the plan's implementation phase.

Referring to the Hail workshop, Dr. Alweshail said the training program will last for five days. "The program targets both the public and private sectors in an attempt to create an awareness of the need for providing high-quality professional services to tourists from the time of their arrival till departure." He pointed out that it is part of the "Ya Hala" program mainly concerned with qualifying employees in the tourism sector to be professionally trained.

"A specialized training body has been set up to implement the program based on high-quality standards," he observed. Dr. Alweshail said the "Train the Trainers" program follows the principle of partnership between SCT and the private sector, which is expected to act as an engine of growth of the tourism industry. The commission will play a supervisory role in overseeing the implementation of its policies.

Javid Hassan, Arab News

© Arab News 2004