Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, Emir of Makkah region, has received the Honorary Award for Revolutionary City Transformation, for overseeing the development of Makkah. Prince Khaled was among a number of industry leaders honored here Saturday night at the Makkah New Era Awards ceremony, co-organized by Naseba, the leading French business information company, and Saudi-based STAR Group Holdings. The event was attended by a number of prominent Saudi officials. The welcome address was delivered by Prince Bandar Bin Saud Bin Khaled Al-Saud, Chairman of STAR Group Holdings. Also honored at the ceremony were Prince Mish'al Bin Majed Bin Abdul Aziz, Governor of Jeddah, who was presented with the Honorary Award for Iconic Cultural Vision; Prince Sultan Bin Salman, who received the Honorary Award for Excellence in Hospitality; and Dr. Hani Abu Ras, Mayor of Jeddah, who received the Honorary Award for Dynamic Urban Environment. The ceremony was held in conjunction with the 2nd Annual Modern Makkah Summit and Awards, and highlighted the extensive efforts being made to modernize Makkah Province while preserving its heritage. Fabien Faure, Managing Director of Naseba, said he was “honored to work with Prince Khaled”. “Naseba is proud to host the 2nd Modern Makkah Summit and Awards in line with His Royal Highness' vision of expanding, developing and transforming Makkah Province. We look forward to welcoming and recognizing industry leaders who have demonstrated an exemplary contribution to Makkah's development.” In his speech, Prince Bandar said the Makkah Development Plan will see SR100 billion spent on large-scale projects across various industries including infrastructure, real estate, utilities and tourism. “This plan will attract investors, project developers, contractors, architects and other business operators,” the Prince said. He added that the two-day summit provides opportunities for business leaders and key decision makers to explore the latest projects and compete for planned developments in the province of Makkah. “The Holy City has recently experienced major improvements of its infrastructure. More than 62 tunnels throughout the Makkah mountains and Holy Sites have recently been constructed at the request of the government, and were a major factor in the success of this year's Haj season. It is widely believed that with additional development work, further improvements to safety and ease of transit can be achieved.” __
