Hilton has reaffirmed its commitment to continued development in Saudi Arabia, creating more than 10,000 new jobs, as part of an ambitious expansion plan across the kingdom.

The news follows a meeting between Ahmed Al Khateeb, Saudi Arabia minister of tourism, and Chris Nassetta, chief executive of Hilton, in Riyadh.

The new roles, which contribute towards Saudi Arabia’s target of one million new jobs in tourism as part of the Vision 2030 economic transformation plan, will be created as a result of a fast-growing portfolio of hotels.

Speaking after the meeting, Al Khateeb said: “Today’s commitment by Hilton to new hotels and creating more than 10,000 new jobs demonstrates their confidence in the progress being made in Saudi Arabia as we continue to develop and grow our tourism industry.

“We have an ambitious target of welcoming 100 million international and domestic visits by 2030.

“Working with world-leading hospitality and tourism businesses like Hilton to expand the range and scale of options available to tourists is a key part of our plans.”

The company, which currently operates 15 hotels in Saudi and has another 46 under development, plans to expand its operations to more than 75 properties, including the introduction of new brands such as LXR Hotels & Resorts, Curio Collection by Hilton, Canopy by Hilton and Embassy by Hilton.

Nassetta said: “It’s a great honour to be back in Saudi Arabia as we announce plans to expand our portfolio here with new brands and hotels opening in destinations across the kingdom.

“I commend the work undertaken by the ministry of tourism to facilitate the development of tourism and hospitality – this is a truly remarkable time for tourism in Saudi Arabia and Hilton is well positioned to play a leading role in Vision 2030 creating new jobs as we welcome visitors from around the world.”