The third annual Kingdom Hotel Expansion Summit, taking place in Riyadh next month, has won the backing of the Saudi Commission of Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA).

The summit, to be held from June 6 and 7 at the Al Faisaliah Hotel, will be officially opened by the commission's president Prince Sultan bin Salman bin Abdulaziz.

The summit, being organised by naseba, will focus on the various elements contributing to a new decade of excellence in Saudi’s tourism and hospitality industries, with an overview of planned infrastructure, potential for growth as well as the future of human resources in the hospitality sector.

Prince Sultan bin Salman bin Abdulaziz will give a keynote address in the morning of day one, familiarising the audience with the on-going projects in the kingdom as well as communicating the overall vision the commission holds towards the past and future of the hospitality and tourism sectors.

On day two, Eng Ahmed Al Essa, general director of licensing and ouality of the SCTA, will speak on specifics of restructuring tourism accommodation.

The summit will also host pre-scheduled one-to-one business meetings as well as networking dinners and luncheons.

With attendance from its Middle East managing director, Christophe Landais and development manager Louis Durand, the Accor Group is expected to hold an official press conference announcing future plans of expansion in the kingdom.

Some of the other attendees and speakers include: Musaed A. Al Said, chief executive officer, Al Khozama Management Company; Rani Gharbie, director development MEA, InterContinental Hotels Group; Shuja Zaidi, VP projects and KSA general manager Makkah Hilton & Towers, Hilton Worldwide; John G Spitz, senior vice president Saudi Arabia, Hill International; Diego Lofeudo, director of market management Middle East & Indian Ocean, Expedia; Darroch Crawford, managing director, Premier Inn; Dr Abdullah Al Washeel, director general, National Project for Tourism Human Resources Development (Takamul).

“We are proud to work in collaboration with the Saudi Commission of Tourism and Antiquities, the governing body for the tourism and hospitality sectors in the country. The vision of our 3rd annual Kingdom Hotel Expansion Summit is perfectly aligned with that of the commission, so we expect the continuity of the summit, the agenda and the business our clients develop and close during the two-days to contribute to the transformation of the hospitality sector in the country,” said Fabien Faure, managing director, product development at naseba. - TradeArabia News Service