April 22- The hospitality sector in Saudi Arabia is set to grow as major hotel chains begin moving forward with plans to renovate, expand, and develop new properties. The major cities in Saudi Arabia – Riyadh, Jeddah, and Damman, already have scores of hotels ranging from three stars to five stars. Major hotel chains are showing a renewed enthusiasm to renovate new properties and expand existing properties, according to business leaders of the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry hotels committee. Mohammed Alghamdi, a JCCI member, said “This is due to increasing demand from year-round Umrah visitors, as well as from both business and leisure travelers.”
Inbound travel to Saudi Arabia, both for religious and business reasons, is increasing and this will help boost its hospitality sector. It is projected that 21 hotels with 7,000 hotel rooms will open by 2013 in Saudi Arabia, and about 2,000 of these rooms will open this year.
