RIYADH: The Saudi Arabian Red Sea Authority (SRSA), in collaboration with the Ministry of Tourism, has implemented two pioneering initiatives focused on developing the workforce of luxury coastal resorts and travel agencies to meet international best practices in providing luxury coastal tourism services.
The first initiative targeted 1,059 trainees, including HR professionals and students from major Red Sea tourism projects such as Red Sea Global, Cruise Saudi and NEOM. The training was delivered in-house as part of the second edition of the Tourism Trailblazers Programme, which focused on customer service experience and safety principles.
The second initiative strengthened public-private integration by selecting a group of elite talent to work in high-end coastal resorts and tourism marine agencies organizing luxury cruise trips, in collaboration with ministries and authorities. The selected individuals participated in a specialized training program on board European cruise ships, accredited by the University of Plymouth in partnership with Dale Carnegie UK and supervised by Umm Al Qura University. The initiative aims to equip the trainees with the skills and expertise required for excellence in hospitality and guest service, and to manage various hospitality-related tasks on board cruise ships.
These initiatives reflect the Ministry of Tourism and SRSA’s commitment to nurturing specialized national talent in the coastal tourism sector and their key role in positioning Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea coast as a leading coastal tourist destination, with SRSA aiming to create more than 210,000 jobs by 2030 and contribute more than SAR 85 billion to the country’s GDP in the same year.
