RIYADH: Over 1,000 business outlets including travel agencies, furnished apartments, starred hotels and recreation companies are participating in the Riyadh Summer Festival starting Wednesday. Prince Sattam Bin Abdul Aziz, Deputy Emir of Riyadh Region, will inaugurate the month-long festival at a function in Al-Othaim Mall in Al-Rabwa District near Eastern Ring Road between exit 14 and 15. Abdurrahman Al-Jeraisy, Chairman, Riyadh Chamber of Commerce and Industry (RCCI), the organizer of the annual event, said Prince Sattam's patronage of the opening ceremony reflects the keen interest and support extended to the festival, which is aimed at promoting domestic tourism in the Kingdom. “Riyadh is one of the most important tourist destinations in the Kingdom because of its historical importance. A number of landmarks attract tourists from around the Kingdom and other GCC countries,” he said. Over the years, he said, Riyadh Summer Festival has emerged as one of the remarkable events in the Kingdom, “first by the blessings of Allah and untiring efforts exerted by Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA) to promote domestic tourism,” he said. “We will try our best to meet the expectations of all segments of the society making the summer vacation more enjoyable,” Al-Jeraisy said in a statement to Saudi Gazette. He said the success achieved during the previous such festivals has promoted greater participation that in turn will witness increased economic activities. Prince Sultan Bin Salman, SCTA Chairman, has earlier called upon participants in festivals across the Kingdom to develop tourism-related services that attract domestic tourists to take full advantage of the holiday season. He underscored the need for developing tourism-related services in Saudi Arabia, which, he said, are still not up to the aspirations of citizens. “The tourism-related services have not reached the desired level, particularly in the area of transport that needs improvement,” he said. 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. Prince Sultan described Saudi Arabia's domestic tourism sector as a “jewel” that would offer a treasure trove of heritage and historical sites to attract tourists to explore a number of spots not visited before. According to statistics from SCTA's Center for Information and Tourism Research the domestic tourists are expected to spend about SR10.4 billion this year, an increase of 31 percent compared to previous year's SR8 billion. This is due to the opening of hotels in different tourist spots in the country.
