THE NEW SAUDI ARABIA
# METOO MOVING FORWARD
SAVING THE PLANET
LAGNIAPPE
WHAT WE ’ RE WATCHING
FORGET WHERE WE ' VE BEEN : HOW ABOUT WHERE WE ' RE GOING ? HERE ARE THE LIST OF ISSUES AND INNOVATIONS WE HAVE OUR EYES ON IN 2018 AND BEYOND .
THE NEW SAUDI ARABIA
While restrictions on alcohol and dress remain a potential deterrent to tourism in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , leadership is embracing tourism as part of its diversification efforts . The first hotel investment conference was held in Riyadh in April and the Saudi Vision 2030 was front and center . It is building a series of special zones in logistics , tourism , industry and finance , an entertainment city and a US $ 10 billion financial district . It plans to use the country ’ s sovereign wealth fund to turn 50 islands and 34,000 square kilometers ( 13,127 square miles ) along its Red Sea coastline into a global tourism destination with construction expected to start in 2019 and the first phase completed by 2022 . Bringing leisure business to Saudi beaches could be big , but the restrictions hurdles must be overcome to bring in foreign tourists .— J . W .
# METOO MOVING FORWARD
It ’ s safe to say that # metoo is showing no signs of letting up . It ’ s driven momentum supporting panic buttons for housekeepers , shaken up leadership at companies like Wynn Resorts and elevated the discussion around promotion , pay and opportunities for women . There ’ s plenty of evidence that promoting women to leadership and corporate board roles makes good business sense . We ’ re looking for more hotel companies to walk the walk and take measurable steps toward pay equity and promotion — or explain why .— B . B .
SAVING THE PLANET
Hotels have invested a lot to give their guests a local experience . Now they are adding “ meaningful ” to that trend — not just swimming with the dolphins or observing turtles hatching but actually contributing to animal and environmental preservation and protection . As these types of movements gather steam , look for hotels and resorts to connect the guest more directly to opportunities to make a difference beyond just picking up their towels ( and pay for the privilege ).— B . B .
June 2018 hotelsmag . com 71