Prince Sultan Bin Salman, Chairman Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA), poses with participants of a workshop organized in Riyadh recently by SCTA and Riyadh Chambers of Commerce and Industry. (Courtesy photo) SHAHID ALI KHAN RIYADH: Prince Sultan Bin Salman, Chairman Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA), is calling upon participants of the forthcoming country-wide summer festivals to develop tourism-related services that encourage domestic tourists to take full advantage of the holiday season. Prince Sultan was addressing the participants of a workshop organized by Riyadh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (RCCI) in cooperation with SCTA in Riyadh. A large number of CEOs, heads of companies and other businessmen from various regions in the Kingdom participated in the day-long workshop held in Riyadh to discuss recreation activities and how to develop services for tourists. Prince Sultan described Saudi Arabia's domestic tourism sector as a “jewel” that would offer a treasure trove of heritage and historical sites that encourage tourists to explore a number of places that they have not visited before. He said SCTA is supporting a number of summer festivals in different parts of the country that include Riyadh, Najran, Buraydah, Jizan, Qurayat, Al-Jouf, Taif, and Tabouk, as well as organizing Souq Okaz. Because the summer vacation coincides with Ramadan this year, the domestic tourism sector will witness the movement of a large number of Saudis and residents from one part of the Kingdom to another enjoying a variety of activities specific to each region. The summer festivals across the Kingdom will offer recreational, cultural, social and heritage activities bringing great diversity to the Saudi tourism sector. Citing tourism-related statistics from SCTA's Center for Information and Tourism Research (MAS), Prince Sultan said that domestic tourists are expected to spend about SR10.4 billion this year by participating in the summer shopping festivals planned across the country as compared with last year's SR8 billion, an increase of 31 percent. He said this is due to the opening of hotels in different tourist locations in the country. “The number of hotels has almost doubled in various regions in the past years,” he said. The prince underscored the need for developing tourism-related services in Saudi Arabia, which he said are still not up to the aspirations of citizens. “Tourism-related services have not reached a desired level, particularly in the area of transport,” he said. The summer festivals that open at different dates in different cities will offer many tourism-related activities including shopping and entertainment. Saudi Arabian Airlines, the country's national carrier said it will be participating in the summer festival for the first time and is preparing to target domestic tourists by introducing a number of holiday packages in different parts of the Kingdom. Mohammed H. Bakhsh, Assistant Marketing Manager, Saudi World Holidays, said the airline is now engaged in developing holiday packages for domestic tourists, who can take advantage of the best prices and facilities while traveling to tourist destinations in the Kingdom.
