I felt in a different world! First it was Prince Sultan Bin Abdulaziz Science and Technology Center (Scitech), the boat sunset tour around Al-Murjan Island, Al-Ameria Museum, then came the fireworks, theater plays and dances, live painting and all. I'd have expected to enjoy such wonderful events and places in tourism-rich towns like Miami, Paris, Istanbul or Dubai. But, forgive my ignorance, not as much in Dammam. When the Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage (SCTH) invited us, a group of journalists, photographers and columnists, to attend the celebration for the Commencement of the Summer Tourism Season, I was happy but not thrilled. Yes, I was impressed with previous events in Jeddah, Jazan and Abha, but somehow this event blew me away. Here's why: In the Science Dome of Prince Sultan Bin Abdulaziz Science and Technology Center, we watched an I-Max movie — the road to Makkah. The show, sponsored by Alzamel Group, was just prefect. I learned that a longer list of movies are available, mostly about nature. Then we visited the six infotainment galleries that covers marine and animal life, space, science and technology. The Tourism Summer Season celebrations took place on the grounds of the Dammam Seafront Center — a beautiful space for social gathering and events. The program included a tour around the place, where girls showed their artworks and painted for the audience, children of all ages danced and sang in their traditional dresses, handicrafts where shown from all around the country, and every region presented its programs for the summer. The finest moment came when theatrical plays, folklore dances and music were played for the excited families in attendance. Old fishing boats, classic cars and motorcycles, as well as fine Arab horses marched along the open-air theater. Boys and girls were riding with their fathers and brothers as they drove by. The audience was led by Prince Saud Bin Naif, Eastern Province's Governor, and Prince Sultan Bin Salman, president of the Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage. Fireworks at the end of the program gave us a taste of Eid festivals. The next day, we visited Ameria Museum. It amazed me how much a man's passion could make a difference. I have visited many public museums in the country, but it was always the private ones that exceeded my best expectations. The owner, who passed away two months ago, collected some 300,000 of artifacts from all over the world. I especially liked the sunken ship he turned into a hall in the marine section. Cinema, photography and music were given ample space. So were weapons from different ages and parts of the globe. The museum was built over 30 years, and its collections took much longer. It cost the owner, a businessman, a fortune. Still, he opened it for free. Now, the Tourism Commission is encouraging his children, who inherited the place, to ticket visitors, to at least to cover the maintenance bill. Tourism is at the heart of Saudi Arabia Vision 2030. It is as pioneer, Prince Khaled Alfaisal, calls it: Our "White Gold." In a future with less dependence on oil, we need to make the best of our diversified heritage, culture and blessed land. Tourism is our best hope of saving our economy, developing our nation and improving our lifestyle. This could be achieved by producing millions of jobs, providing thousands of investment opportunities — not to mention opening up our culture, conscience and collective thought to the rest of the world. No other industry matches the comprehensive, deep, wide and lasting enrichment tourism brings for host communities. We should know! In the Land of Islam, we have hosted and served the Guests of Allah forever. This has given us wider perspective, understanding and tolerance. It also gave us global knowledge, communication skills and service experience. Our culture has benefited from mixing and matching with Muslims from every nation, ethnicity and heritage. What are we doing, today, by encouraging local tourism is not just useful, but of vital importance. Millions of Saudis and residents enjoy their holidays abroad. In Gulf countries alone, we spend billions on vacations every year. This means it is not necessary to have a European-like nature, culture and attractions to win Saudis. Many are just as happy to stay in hot and humid Dubai, Sharm El-Sheikh and Bahrain. We could provide even better locally, if we are determined, creative and smart enough to invest in our virgin deserts, coasts and seas. Not only locals would be interested, millions of Arab, Muslims and foreigners would love to explore Saudi Arabia. Under the right regulations and incentives, many Saudi and foreign investors would find it very rewarding to invest in the tourism industry. Missing in the past was the grand plan, the big picture and the road map. Now that we have all the above in the Transformation Plan, we could move fast, smart and strong towards our new frontier — tourism. — Dr. Khaled M. Batarfi is a Saudi writer based in Jeddah. He can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him at Twitter:@kbatarfi
