Businessmen here believe the Jeddah Ghair Festival 2011 will increase investment in the city, which has already hit SR60 billion. Jeddah has 192 hotels with 11,000 rooms, 670 furnished residential apartments with 13,561 units. Moreover, 76 tourist resorts, 14 entertainment cities, 205 malls, 15 museums, 90 sports centers, 194 travel agencies, 84 car rental companies and 480 restaurants have been made available to residents and visitors. “Jeddah Ghair Festival 2011 is playing an important role in boosting tourism investment because Jeddah has numerous tourist attractions,” said Saeed Al-Bassami, Chairman of the Car Rental Committee of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry. He said it was important for the authorities to prevent anyone from tampering with prices stipulated by the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA). The SCTA seeks to end the price chaos at accommodation facilities in the city, he said. The festival demonstrates how much the tourism sector has improved in Jeddah, a city famous for its ancient history and mixed cultural heritage. Jeddah tourism has been growing, thanks to the efforts of various organizing committees, including the Jeddah Ghair Festival committee. The number of visitors is expected to increase this summer by 15 percent and exceed four million visitors for the first time. It is hoped there will be 4.5 million visitors, Al-Bassami said. The SCTA plays an important role in developing tourism in Makkah region under the directives of Prince Sultan Bin Salman Bin Abdul Aziz, the SCTA President. The SCTA is working on a plan to form a youth team in each region, he added.
