With 2022 Just Moments Away, Here Are The Kingdom’s Milestones of 2021

Hera Shabbir

Despite the ongoing pandemic, Saudi Arabia was able to maintain ultimate success in all sectors of the Kingdom.

From concerts, to innovative environmental projects, to even re-openings of tourists spots, these events are some of the many that have lead the nation into big milestones, paving a better way for 2022.

The “Saudi Green Initiative” and the “Middle East Green Initiative”

This initiative was announced by HRH Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman as a strategy against climate change.
Cohesive to Vision 2030, the summit was held in April this year, discussing methods to combat global warming.

The summit provided solutions to such a threat with proactive environmental protection through planting 10 billion trees across the Kingdom, reducing carbon emissions by more than 4% globally.
Essential to tackle climate change, the Saudi Green Initiative allowed the GCC countries to successfully scheme a plan of action.

Tourism Boost

When it comes to tourism, the Kingdom has rapidly made a name for itself, with opening the office of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) in Riyadh this year.

Not only is it the first regional office of the Middle East, but also prompted the launch of the “Tourism Experiences of the Future” in partnership with NEOM.
The NEOM project, as stated by the UNWTO,  will be a source for innovative ideas, business models, and tourism needs of new and exciting experiences.

The 41st Summit of the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf (GCC)

The Kingdom hosted this year’s summit: ‘Sultan Qaboos and Sheikh Sabah Summit’ in the city of AlUla. It was named in memory of the late rulers of Oman and Kuwait.
All 6 members of the states of Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates discussed GCC progression and policy in this summit.

Strengthening the bond and unity of all 6 nations, this summit also included the restoration of diplomatic relations with Qatar.

Economic Growth

Although the pandemic had slowed down global economy, Saudi Arabia maintained its GDP through social reforms and boost in local tourism.

Consumer spending had increased significantly due to re-opening of entertainment and leisure activities, allowing the Kingdom to relapse from post-COVID downfall.

Entertainment Growth

This year brought the return of exciting and new events throughout the Kingdom. Prompting a high vaccination rate, the Kingdom had made it mandatory to have the jabs as grant of access to these events.

Riyadh season, which kicked off just 2 months ago, has recorded over 6 million visitors, also creating more than 100,000 jobs for the community.
The Saudi Arabia Grand Prix was also a major event for the Kingdom this year, along with the MDLBEAST Soundstorm 4-day festival of 200+ artists,  which hosted 700,000 visitors.

Change in Education

Due to the pandemic, the Kingdom was hit with a challenge to maintain educational consistency. Facing disruptions with in-class attendance, the Kingdom had dedicated 20 TV channels to distant learning. Not only did the Kingdom promote such learning, but also created “Madrasati”, a platform named as on of the leading and most innovative systems of remote education-UNESCO.

Aside from the pandemic, modification of the educational system was also in place, with implementing the Chinese language in the Kingdom’s curriculum.
The Human Capability Development Program was also announced by HRH, Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud as a part of Vision 2030.

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