Thousands of hospitality and construction industry professionals have descended on Jeddah for  major trade events running together at the Jeddah Centre for Forums and Events till April 12 (4-10pm daily).

The sixth edition of The Hotel Show Saudi Arabia and second annual Stone & Surface Saudi Arabia opened on April 10th and were inaugurated by Faisal Alfadl, secretary general of the King Saud Foundation and founder of the Saudi Green Building Forum.

AlFadl also hosted a full-day ‘Green Building Workshop’ during the first day of the events at the conference at Stone & Surface Saudi Arabia, detailing the kingdom’s position as a world leader in sustainable construction, with an “intelligent cities” green built environment on its horizon.
 
The events come at a time of high levels of activity across the kingdom in the hospitality and construction markets. A Tophotelprojects report prepared ahead of The Hotel Show revealed 55,810 new hotel rooms are in the Saudi construction pipeline, the majority of which will open in the next five years.  

Meanwhile, according to BNC Network, Knowledge Partner of Stone & Surface Saudi, there are 4,778 construction projects under way across the country, led by urban development and a growing transport network.

Speaking at the opening of the co-located annual tradeshows for 2018, Gary Williams, event director of The Hotel Show Saudi Arabia, said: “The hospitality industry in Saudi Arabia is going through its most significant period of change to date, with major hotel and restaurant brands from all over the world recognising its incredible growth potential based on its long-term investment, business and tourism prospects.
 
“Not only does the kingdom have the largest population in the Gulf and a robust domestic tourism market, forecasts by the World Travel & Tourism Council predict international tourist arrivals to grow from 18 million in 2017 to more than 30 million in 2027. Investment in infrastructure, major leisure and culture focused tourist attractions, and new visa rules are all part of the vision to put the kingdom on the global tourism map.

“We are bringing to Saudi the ultimate showcase of local and international products dedicated to the hospitality industry from in-room technologies, to interiors, lighting and design, gym equipment, F&B (food and beverage) and much more – bringing the latest innovations and allowing developers of new hotels and restaurants here to stay ahead of the curve.”
 
Major brands taking part in The Hotel Show Saudi Arabia 2018 include: Unilever Food Solutions, KAAS Group, Schneider Electric, RAK Porcelain, Aldar Almadania, CMT Technologies, SecuTronic, Delta Marketing, Sporta, Technogym, alongside many more.

This year’s event also features the highly-anticipated second edition of the ‘Inter-Hotel Culinary Competition – Mystery Box Challenge’ where chefs from the country’s leading hotels are set to battle it out in a bid to be crowned the top hotel kitchen in Saudi Arabia.
 
Meanwhile Stone & Surface Saudi Arabia 2018 is providing a vast international showcase of the latest stone and surface design materials from 12 countries including Saudi Arabia, Turkey, China, Canada and Italy.
 
Yan Wang, event director of Stone & Surface Saudi Arabia, said: “Saudi Arabia currently has a wealth of cutting-edge, iconic architecture and design projects under construction alongside mega public projects including the new airport in Jeddah and Haramain Rail Line Project – set to connect the country like never before."
 
“The demand for the procurement of surface materials and new designs is at a high, and we aim to connect contracting professionals and the design community. We are pleased to see such overwhelming interest from such visitors in the Saudi market, who are keen to source new technology and products.”
 
A free-to-attend, CPD (Continuing Professional Development)-certified conference is also being introduced to the event line-up this year, featuring expert speakers set to update the kingdom’s professionals on the latest developments and trends in the construction industry including experts from JLL and the Saudi Green Building Forum.

Co-located, The Hotel Show Saudi Arabia 2018 and Stone & Surface Saudi Arabia 2018 are free-to-attend events. - TradeArabia News Service