MADINAH — The Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage (SCTH) granted the Best Tourists Guide Award to the first woman recipient. Mariam Al-Harby said she is honored to be the first Saudi woman to receive the award for the year 2017. "The award is a testimony of the commission's support of women working in the tourism sector. I am not the first woman to receive an award from the commission. Five other women were also awarded by the commission to highlight their exceptional contribution to the tourism sector," said Al-Harby. She said the profession of tourist guides was dominated by men in the past. "Recognizing me as the best tourists guide in 2017 proves that the Saudi woman is capable of being creative and excelling as tourist guides. I followed my dream in becoming a tourist guide and now many other women will be inspired by me to follow suit," said Al-Harby. She said the profession will soon grow and women will play a vital role in it. "With the contribution of both men and women in the field, tourism in the Kingdom will have high quality services. There are a lot of artifacts and beautiful historic and tourist sites in the Kingdom," said Al-Harby. She said she began working as a tourist guide in Madinah three years ago. "My husband supported me greatly. He would provide the buses to take the tourists and show them around. He would even chart the program and organize the entire visits. I worked in the field after earning a Master's degree in tourism and artifacts from King Saud University," said Al-Harby.
