Vision 2030: The New Era of Hospitality & Tourism in Saudi Arabia
It’s needless to say that hospitality is ingrained in Saudi culture. Only in the Middle East can you be randomly invited to a house by a person you’ve just met five minutes ago. But even though hospitality is in the blood of Saudis, there remains a gap in the development of the hospitality and tourism industry in the country. This can be attributed to Saudi Arabia’s historically insular approach, which prioritized preserving its rich cultural and religious heritage.
However, with the launch of the Vision 2030 program nearly a decade ago, the country has undergone tremendous changes, making significant progress in all sectors in an impressively short time. Just look at groundbreaking projects like NEOM, Sindalah Island, AlUla, Qiddiya, Diriyah, and many more. Vision 2030, set by the Crown Prince, has transformed many aspects of life for Saudis. It has opened the country to newcomers and expatriates, shattered common stereotypes about Saudi Arabia, and left tourists dazzled by the beauty of this nation.
Every one of us knows that if you want to achieve something in life, you need to set a clear goal. The same goes for nations. With a clear mission and vision, Saudi Arabia is not only strengthening its global presence but is also positioning itself to become one of the top-performing countries in the world.
As hospitality and tourism are key pillars of Vision 2030, Creative Hospitality draws its core principles and foundation from this transformative program. Our vision and mission align seamlessly with Vision 2030, focusing on sustainability and a clear goal of shaping the future leaders of Saudi Arabia’s hospitality industry.
Keys to Success in Hospitality Business
Meet Abdullah. An inspired and driven Saudi entrepreneur on a mission to put Saudi Arabia on the map in the hospitality sector. His journey, however, is far from ordinary—he is one of the few who started from the very bottom, working his way up through hard work and perseverance.
Abdullah’s story begins in Belgium, where he had a choice between going for a degree in international business or the hospitality and tourism sector. As one of his close advisors at the time rightly foretold, “The future of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is in tourism and hospitality.” This advice, given over a decade ago, has shaped Abdullah’s path to becoming a pioneer of innovation in the hospitality industry and building one of the most successful hospitality management companies in KSA. It nurtured his ambition of making Saudi Arabia a top hospitality hub for tourists and expatriates coming from all over the world.
However, the road to the top is not an easy one. For anyone to truly understand the ins and outs of this industry, it’s essential to experience every step of the hospitality ladder, starting from, quite literally, the bottom. Abdullah began his career at Four Seasons as a room service attendant, gradually working his way up to a runner, waiter, supervisor, and eventually manager in the food and beverage department. During this journey, he was enrolled in MIT—a Manager In Training program—where he gained invaluable knowledge and leadership skills that shaped his future in the industry. Abdullah emphasizes the critical need for more programs like MIT, which not only nurture career enthusiasts but also empower aspiring entrepreneurs to thrive in the ever-evolving hospitality sector.
One of the main keys to success in the hospitality business is to understand every single aspect that happens in an organization. “The big part about hospitality is about being able to resonate with specific employees, no matter which level they hold,” says Abdullah. So, starting from the ground up in hospitality is a need, not a want. And it’s one of the industries where, if you do start from the bottom, you can always reach the top.
Like in any other industry, attention to detail in hospitality is key. Having lived in different countries throughout his life, Abdullah had an opportunity to experience hotels, restaurants, events, and other aspects of the hospitality realm all around the world. Given his passion for hospitality and the desire to change the industry in his home country, Abdullah got inspired to start his own company in Saudi Arabia. And so, the journey of Creative Hospitality had started.
Challenges in Hospitality Sector
Nothing good in life comes without challenges, especially when it comes to running a business. Hospitality, being a new industry in the Kingdom, is full of challenges. Let us be specific: challenges, not problems. A problem is something that is very difficult to resolve, whereas a challenge is something that is easily overcome.
One of the biggest challenges in hospitality today is changing the mentality of the young Saudis who are entering the workforce in this industry. A lot of Saudis, especially in the past, had a notion that working as a waiter, for example, is not something to look forward to or even respect in a sense. Although entering this sector as a waiter or a steward might not be the most exciting role in the hospitality career, it does remain one of the best ways to learn about the industry while climbing up the ladder. As they say, no job is too small. The best managers are those who have been there themselves and who can relate to their subordinates at every level.
Therefore, a big part of Creative Hospitality’s mission is to support young graduates in the hospitality and tourism sector and help them develop their careers. Creative Hospitality currently offers internship programs for aspiring youth, eager to learn and act on their ambition in the industry.
Of course, educating young people and, in a way, changing the mentality of the Saudi population is important and cannot be underestimated. But there are other challenges as well, one of them being: staying relevant and evolving in this ever-changing landscape of the hospitality and tourism sector. If you’re not progressing, you’re stagnating. So, staying relevant in this industry is key. You have to be able to adapt to the needs of the market and offer the most pertinent solutions. For instance, Creative Hospitality as an organization is not only focused on providing hospitality management solutions but also luxury accommodation, cutting-edge advertisement and next-level software solutions, specifically developed for the Saudi market.
The Future of Hospitality and Tourism in Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is all about the future and how we’re going to be able to build an industry that wasn’t utilized before. It has tremendous potential—especially now, with the recent opening of Sindalah Island, one of the first projects launched under NEOM, and that Creative Hospitality has been proudly a part of.
There are remarkable places in the country that are currently opening and being developed for individuals from all over the world to come and experience Saudi Arabia. A huge part of the hospitality industry here is opening people’s eyes to what the Kingdom has to offer. We already see a rush of influencers on YouTube and other social media platforms talking about how amazing the country is. But this is just the beginning. We need to break the old stereotypes, raise our voices, and speak about the changes and challenges that will make Saudi Arabia the next tourism destination for the world.
As Saudi Arabia positions itself as the next global tourism hub, Abdullah and Creative Hospitality are committed to leading the charge, transforming challenges into opportunities, and helping the Kingdom become a beacon of hospitality for the world.
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