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Zawya
03-07-2025
- Business
- Zawya
Hotel occupancy in Saudi Arabia rises to 63% as tourism workforce tops 983,000 in Q1 2025
RIYADH — Saudi Arabia's hotel room occupancy rate rose to 63% in the first quarter of 2025, up 2.1 percentage points from the same period in 2024, according to the Tourism Establishments Statistics Publication released by the General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT). In contrast, the occupancy rate for serviced apartments and other hospitality facilities dropped to 50.7%, down 3.8 percentage points compared to Q1 2024. The report also showed a mixed trend in room pricing. The average daily room rate in hotels fell by 3.4% year-on-year, reaching SR477, while serviced apartments and similar facilities saw an increase of 7.2%, bringing the average rate to SR209. Regarding guest behavior, the average length of stay in hotels during the fourth quarter of 2024 remained unchanged at 4.1 nights. However, the average stay in serviced apartments and other hospitality facilities decreased by 4.5% to 2.1 nights. Tourism employment saw a notable uptick, with 983,253 individuals working in tourism-related activities during Q1 of 2025, reflecting a 4.1% increase compared to the same quarter last year. Of the total, 243,369 were Saudi nationals, representing 24.8% of the workforce, while non-Saudis made up the remaining 75.2% with 739,884 employees. Men accounted for 86.8% of all workers in the tourism sector, totaling 853,852, while women represented 13.2% or 129,401 employees. The tourism sector comprised 5.4% of the total national workforce in Q1 of 2025, a slight decrease of 0.3 percentage points compared to Q1 of 2024. In the private sector, tourism employees made up 8.1% of the workforce, down 0.6 percentage points year-on-year. © Copyright 2022 The Saudi Gazette. All Rights Reserved. Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (
Asharq Al-Awsat
22-05-2025
- Business
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Saudi Private Sector Employment of Nationals Rises 93% in Q1
Saudi Arabia's Human Resources Development Fund (HRDF) announced a significant increase in the employment of Saudi nationals in the private sector, with 143,000 citizens hired through the Fund's programs during the first quarter of 2025, a 93% growth compared to the same period last year. In its quarterly report, the Fund also revealed that 1.18 million Saudis benefited from its training, empowerment, and career guidance services in Q1, marking a 4% year-on-year increase. More than 98,000 private sector establishments across various industries and regions of the Kingdom benefited from HRDF services during the same period, reflecting a 37% increase over Q1 of the previous year. Notably, 93% of these businesses were small, medium, or micro enterprises, underscoring the Fund's role in supporting grassroots economic development. HRDF disbursed SAR1.8 billion (approximately $480 million) during the quarter to support training, empowerment, and career counseling programs. HRDF Director General Turki Al-Jawini said the Fund operates in close partnership with public and private sector stakeholders to create job opportunities for Saudi nationals. He highlighted ongoing transformations within the Fund, driven by the government's commitment to investing in human capital. Al-Jawini noted that the growing number of individuals placed into jobs through HRDF initiatives reflects the Fund's strategic efforts to respond to labor market changes, improve workforce efficiency, and align with economic priorities. He added that the Fund continues to evolve its support programs to better meet the needs of the market and national development goals. HRDF's focus remains on providing tailored training and career development programs that equip Saudi talent for roles across key sectors, especially those identified as economic priorities.
