Given the increasing demand for high quality hospitality projects across the Kingdom, especially in Makkah, Abdul Latif Jameel Real Estate Investment Co. (ALJREIC), one of the leading real estate and development companies in Saudi Arabia that is focused on developing hotel facilities for Hajj and Ummrah visitors, recently launched the SR 10 billion Jabal Al Ka’aba project. Upon completion, the project is expected to add up to 8,500 hotel rooms through a cluster of hotels over the next few years, under the “Anjum Hotels” brand.
“Through the Jabal Al Ka’aba project we expect to create approximately 400 jobs for Saudi nationals, demonstrating ALJREIC’s commitment to strengthen the country’s tourism sector, while maximizing employment opportunities for locals and supporting industry-oriented plans,” Mahmoud Mokhtar, Chief Operating Officer of Abdul Latif Jameel Real Estate Investment Co, said.
According to a report issued by MAS Centre, a department of the SCTA, the average annual occupancy of hotel rooms in the Kingdom has increased by 3.8 percent from 59.2 per cent in 2010 to 63 per cent in 2011; while tourism jobs accounted for 8 per cent of total employees in the Kingdom in 2011, compared to 7.9 per cent in 2010. SCTA also stressed on the economic potential of this promising sector to create new jobs across various levels, even as estimates indicate that the tourism sector will employ nearly 1.1 million people by 2015 in Saudi Arabia and once the planned tourism-related expected projects and investments start.