Saudi Gazette report

ALULA — Lessons learned from the rapid and sustainable development of AlUla will be shared with the global hospitality industry on Tuesday when Royal Commission of AlUla CEO Amr AlMadani joins a global conversation during a virtual conference titled Hospitality Tomorrow.

The conference, which will be co-hosted by Anita Mendiratta, special adviser to the Secretary General at the United Nations World Trade Organisation and member of the RCU Advisory Board, will address the impact of COVID-19 on the hospitality industry among business owners, investors, financiers and operators.

Over 3,000 hospitality industry professionals have already registered and over 5,000 are expected to attend the conference.

The event’s organizers hope the dialogue will help unify the industry to identify industry changes resulting from the worldwide restrictions on travel, how signs of recovery in the sector can be anticipated and the role tourism will play in accelerating the recovery of the global economy.

AlUla’s heritage dates back thousands of years, having been home to several ancient civilizations that had to adapt and evolve to changing times, and it is a young travel destination which should make it more resilient and able to maintain its upwards trajectory in the medium and long term.

Established by royal decree, the commission has three 2035 strategic targets: two million annual visits, contributing over $30 billion to Saudi Arabia’s GDP and creating 38,000 jobs.

AlMadani will be joined for his panel discussion, streamed online at 12:45 p.m. (KSA time), by Puneet Chhatwal, CEO & MD of Indian Hotels Company Limited.

Attendees will also be able to visit the Royal Commission of AlUla’s “virtual booth” to learn more about their Framework Plan for the sustainable development of AlUla and the 12 strategic principles that are guiding the organisation’s work.

Registration for the online event can be completed at https://hopin.to/events/hospitality-tomorrow