More Than 17,000 Jobs Expected From 19 New Saudi Hotel Projects Opening Through 2029

Saudi Arabia has approved 19 hospitality projects across five tourism destinations, which are expected to attract 6.7 billion riyals ($1.78 billion) in investment and create more than 17,000 jobs. The approvals came at a joint event in Riyadh by the Ministry of Tourism and Ministry of Investment. These are expected jobs. The first project is scheduled to open by the end of 2026, with further openings planned through 2029. For Metaintro readers who work in hotels, kitchens, front offices or tourism services, this guide covers what the 17,000 figure counts, where the hotels will be, which hotel jobs are being localized for Saudi nationals, and where Saudi job seekers can look for openings as the properties staff up.

What Did Saudi Arabia Approve on October 19?

The approvals are the first batch of investments approved under the Kingdom's Hospitality Investment Enablers (HIE) Programme, a scheme that offers targeted incentives designed to reduce operating costs for hospitality developers. The work is led by the Ministry of Tourism in cooperation with the Ministry of Investment.

The Saudi Ministry of Tourism and Ministry of Investment unveiled the batch in Riyadh on Monday, 19 October 2026 (translated). The batch covers 19 projects across five destinations.

The 19 participating companies include BSF Capital, Sedal, Rikaz and Jenan.

The tourism ministry had already selected five destinations for the first phase of its hospitality investment program, and said in a post on its official X account that the projects will leverage the unique advantages and capabilities of each destination, in line with rising tourism demand.

Is the Investment $1.8 Billion or $1.78 Billion?

Both figures describe the same riyal amount. The projects are expected to attract 6.7 billion riyals ($1.78 billion) in investment, and the same sum is rounded to 6.7 billion riyals (around $1.8 billion) of investment elsewhere.

Tourism is a key priority under the National Investment Strategy, Investment Minister Fahad Al-Saif said, citing its investment potential and its role in diversifying the economy and advancing Saudi Vision 2030 goals. He said the ministry is working with the Ministry of Tourism and other relevant entities to strengthen the investment environment and simplify the investor journey, with the aim to create jobs and increase local content.

The enablers are expected to help activate investments of up to 6.7 billion riyals (translated), and the programme aims to attract private-sector capital.

The approved projects are expected to add more than 3,000 hotel rooms to the Kingdom's hospitality capacity.

Are the Expected Jobs Open Yet?

The official figure is more than 17 thousand new jobs (translated), and it is framed as an expectation, alongside investments of up to 6.7 billion riyals (translated).

So the figure is a projection for all the approved projects together. It is the number of jobs the projects are set to create, not a count of open vacancies. No project-by-project job count, pay range or hiring date has been published with the announcement.

Timing also matters. The first project is to open by the end of 2026, and the remaining projects are scheduled to open during the coming years, ending in 2029 (translated), so that all of them reach full operation before Expo 2030 and the 2034 World Cup.

By expanding hospitality capacity in high-potential destinations, we are doing more than adding rooms, Minister of Tourism Ahmed Al-Khateeb said, according to the Arab News coverage.

He added that the first approved projects demonstrate investor confidence in Saudi Arabia's tourism sector and the importance of public-private partnerships in bringing new developments to market.

What Else Will These Projects Bring Beyond Hotel Rooms?

Beyond accommodation, the developments are expected to create opportunities in food and beverage, retail, entertainment and other visitor services, supporting local businesses and economic activity.

The money is also meant to flow to Saudi suppliers. By 2030, the projects are expected to contribute more than 2.4 billion riyals annually to gross domestic product and generate over 5.3 billion riyals in local content through demand for domestically sourced goods, services and materials. In dollar terms, that is more than 2.4 billion riyals ($640 million) annually to GDP and over 5.3 billion riyals ($1.41 billion) in local content.

The local content figure covers demand for locally sourced goods, services and construction materials.

Where Will the New Hotels Be?

The projects will be implemented in five destinations.

They are Al-Baha, Al-Ahsa, Jeddah, Asir and the Eastern Province.

The programme is meant to accelerate hotel development beyond the Kingdom's established tourism centres. Around 40 percent of the new rooms are planned for coastal destinations, to strengthen the sun-and-sea tourism offering. The incentives aim to reduce operating costs and boost the viability and investment appeal of hospitality projects in the selected destinations.

How Does This Batch Fit Saudi Arabia's Bigger Hospitality Plan?

This batch is the first batch of investments approved under the programme, which Saudi Arabia unveiled in March 2024. At launch, the Hospitality Investment Enablers initiative aimed to catalyze private investments in key tourism sites across the Kingdom by up to SAR 42 billion ($11 billion), and Saudi Arabia expected it to create 42,000 new room keys and approximately 120,000 job opportunities, furthering talent development and supporting Saudization efforts. Those jobs are expected in the targeted destinations (translated).

The 2024 package promised access to government-owned land under favorable terms, streamlined project development and fewer barriers to market entry. It also aimed at localizing services such as contracting, design, and consulting. Across the wider programme, the ministry and its partners across government pushed annual government fees down by nearly 22%.

The wider 2024 programme also planned a Tourism Investment One Stop Shop, to be launched with the Saudi Business Center to offer all tourism ecosystem services under one roof. The programme is tied to a target of 150 million annual tourists, after the earlier goal of 100 million visitors was reached seven years ahead of schedule.

When Tourism Minister Ahmed Al-Khateeb introduced the wider Tourism Investment Enabler Program in 2024, he said the aim was to make doing business in the Saudi tourism sector easier and more cost-effective. At that time, tourists had spent over SR250 billion ($66 billion) in 2023, contributing 4 percent to the gross domestic product.

The wider pipeline is far larger. The Kingdom's tourism pipeline includes more than $120 billion in investment, with over 200,000 hotel rooms expected to be added by 2030, according to a June report by the Ministry of Tourism. Saudi Arabia welcomed around 123 million domestic and international tourists in 2025, while total tourism spending reached a record SR304 billion, up 7 percent from 2024, according to the Ministry of Tourism's annual statistical report.

Which Hotel Jobs Must Be Partly Filled by Saudi Nationals?

In April 2025, the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development and the Ministry of Tourism issued a decision to localize 41 professions in the tourism sector within private sector establishments, which means a set share of those roles must go to Saudi citizens.

The decision runs in three phases. The first phase was set to take effect on April 22, 2026, followed by the second phase on January 3, 2027, and the third and final phase on January 2, 2028. It applies to all tourism establishments operating in the private sector.

The named roles include Hotel Manager, Hotel Operations Manager, Hotel Audit Manager, Travel Agency Manager, Planning and Development Manager, Tourism Development Specialist, Tourist Guidance Specialist, Tour Organizer, Hospitality Specialist, Site Guide, Procurement Specialist, Sales Specialist, Hotel Receptionist.

The required Saudization percentages are in a procedural guide that the ministry says it published on its official website, along with the calculation method. The guide also covers the penalties stipulated for violations.

This initiative aims to create more rewarding job opportunities for Saudi men and women across the Kingdom, according to the HRSD announcement.

Where Can Saudi Job Seekers Look for These Roles?

No recruitment portal was named with the announcement. The national route for Saudi job seekers is Jadarat, the Unified National Employment Platform, which lists job opportunities in both the public and private sectors. Jadarat replaces the former Jadara platform, merged into one site to simplify the job search across the labor market, and users who have not logged in can still browse the public pages for private sector and public sector jobs with the same filters.

• The applicant must be a Saudi national, and jobs advertised on the platform are for Saudi citizens.
• The platform is run by the Human Resources Development Fund, which manages it under a Cabinet decision.
• Jobs can be filtered by city, job title, advertisement date, entity, and more, so you can filter by the city nearest each destination.
• Updating your profile information and completing all details helps match your profile with jobs suited to your experience and qualifications.
• Private sector employees can apply for jobs in both the private and public sectors, while public sector employees can apply for higher-grade public sector jobs based on their qualifications and for any private sector job.

If something goes wrong, the platform's customer support team is on the unified phone number 8001222030, or through the Contact Us option after logging in. Public sector jobs need one extra step, since you must first verify your qualifications through the Jadarat platform before applying.

A matching tool is planned for future updates. Job seekers should regularly visit the platform to stay informed about newly posted opportunities.

What Training Routes Has the Tourism Ministry Set Up?

The ministry has set up several programmes for Saudi hospitality staff. Since 2020, it has delivered more than 700,000 training opportunities for tourism professionals, according to the ministry.

Another scheme is the Hospitality Ambassadors programme, set up through memoranda of understanding with global hotel brands. It will place Saudi professionals in overseas hotels, where they gain practical experience, leadership capabilities and operational expertise before returning to work in the Kingdom. It forms part of the ministry's wider talent development strategy, complementing initiatives such as the Executive Master's Programme.

Another is an employment-linked scholarship program with Les Roches University that targets the advanced diploma in international hospitality management, run with Sirab Holding, Adira Hospitality and Akeed Travel and Tourism. It sits within the Waad training track and was launched in cooperation with the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Scholarship Program. Its application window ran from August 2, 2026, and closed on August 13, 2026.

What This Means for Hospitality Workers, and What Should You Do Next?

The projects are expected to create more than 17,000 jobs, with the first opening scheduled by the end of 2026 and further openings planned through 2029, so treat the figure as a hiring pipeline, not a list of vacancies.

• Pick your destination. If you live near one of the five destinations, this batch is closest to you. Filter Jadarat jobs by city and pick the city nearest each destination.
• Know which roles are being localized. Front-office and management roles such as Hotel Manager and Hotel Receptionist are on the localization list, and the required percentages are in a procedural guide that the ministry says it published on its website.
• Build hotel experience now. The projects are also expected to create opportunities in food and beverage, retail, entertainment and other visitor services, supporting local businesses, and practising hotel receptionist interview questions is a low-cost start for front-desk roles. Kitchen, housekeeping and guest services roles are among the main types of hotel jobs.
• Watch the employers. Track participating firms BSF Capital, Sedal, Rikaz and Jenan.

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People Also Asked

Q: How many jobs will the new Saudi hotel projects create?

A: The 19 projects are expected to create more than 17,000 jobs, and that is a projection for all projects together, not a count of open vacancies.

Q: When will the new Saudi hotels open?

A: The first project is scheduled to open by the end of 2026, with further openings planned through 2029.

Q: Do Saudi hotel receptionist and manager jobs have Saudization quotas?

A: Both are among the 41 professions in the tourism sector being localized in private sector establishments, in phases starting April 22, 2026, with the required percentages set in the ministry's procedural guide.

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