By Kimberly Ramkhalawan
February 25, 2022
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Tourism and Head of Saudi Development Fund, Ahmed Agil Al-Khateeb, arrived in Barbados recently.
On day one of his visit, Minister Al-Khateeb met with Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley; Minister of Tourism and International Transport, Senator Lisa Cummins, and other government officials. They held a series of bilateral discussions centered around tourism development in Barbados.
On the table were said to be discussions surrounding financing of several major projects through Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, strengthening of the country’s tourism ties alongside its Tourism Investment Fund and conclusion to an air services agreement.
The talks come at a time where the Barbados Prime Minister has been riding a wave of popularity globally. And while she thanked the Saudi Minister for his pledge of support, she expressed the need to extend her country’s relations outside of the typical investors the country has for long participated in, and push for opportunities that existed in other territories.
The visiting minister expressed high praises for the island’s infrastructural development, while said he was welcomed with much warmth and hospitality of Barbadians and promised to set up meetings on his return to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to initiate discussions on the investment opportunities.
Al-Khateeb said he was also impressed with some of the island’s heritage attractions, something he said was being sought after by tourists visiting. He noted the role heritage tourism played in telling a story to visitors curious to know about its history, development and how it came to be the nation it is in the world.
To the, the Barbados Prime Minister made mention of its Reclaiming Our Atlantic Destiny (ROAD) Project as a major project to come on stream that would enhance the island’s heritage offerings.
Apart from its heritage sights, the Saudi Minister visited several locations around Barbados with his local counterpart, Minister Lisa Cummins. Both parties toured several of the country’s main attractions, including George Washington House, and the Pelican Craft Village.
Al-Khateeb highlighted global tourism statistics that showed that over 40 percent of travelers were focused on destinations that offered the sea and sand as part of its package, something that Barbados has to offer.
The four-day visit allowed Barbados’ Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley to exchange talks with Minister Al-Khateeb at Ilaro Court. Al-Khateeb, along with his delegation, promised to return with several interested investors to the island, with focus on assisting the island on several of its development of projects identified by the Government.
Saudi Arabia is known for its oil and gas industry, and with talks of Barbados developing this sector for exploration, the partnership this rounds focused on tourism. The Saudi Minister made mention of some the development projects the oil rich nation was currently involved in at home which was geared at developing its tourism sector, and attracting visitors for sports, entertainment and culture.
Prime Minister Mia Mottley added that her Government would pursue avenues to generate growth in the economy to “close the gaps left by COVID-19”.
“I hope the visit gives the opportunity to cement the relationship and to work on a number of projects of mutual interest,” Ms. Mottley stated. The visiting Saudi Minister meanwhile remarked that “The people here and the food and everything were extremely positive and, therefore, the potential to work together and to share opportunities, especially investments and tourism, is massive. I also would like to take this opportunity to greet our Muslim brothers living in Barbados and I wish them all the best. We are recovering from COVID and I hope to see them in the holy city of Macau very soon,”
Accompanying Minister Al-Khateeb were his Chief of Staff, Ms. Saja Alhoshan, and Director of Operations, Saudi Development Fund, Faisal Al-Kahtani.
Before one of the discussions, a gift exchange took place between the two Tourism Ministers. He spent a four-day visit to the Caribbean Island.