Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman, deputy premier and minister of defense, has ordered the extension of Riyadh Season till the end of January 2020, following its huge success. This was revealed in a tweet by Turki Al-Sheikh, chairman of the Board of the General Entertainment Authority (GEA). "We have reached seven million, six hundred and fifty thousand (7,650,000) visitors to Riyadh Season in a month. Under the guidance of Crown Prince, the season was extended till the end of January," the tweet read. Many tourists and visitors have turned out in droves to witness the diverse events and activities of the Riyadh Season festival with some of the main venues of a number of events closing with overflowing visitors not being able to get in as the venues were packed and exceeded their capacity. Al-Sheikh said that the Riyadh Season has proved a powerful festival, which is being implemented by 280 Saudi companies with a manpower of 24,000 seasonal workers in addition to more than 22,000 part timers. The ongoing Riyadh Season, the latest and largest of all these seasons, is of great importance to all those who are interested in the field of travel and tourism around the world after it had received tremendous reactions because of the popularity of the season, especially after the Kingdom's opening of its doors to international tourists with launching a new visa regime, featuring a lot of attractive incentives and simpler and easier procedures. It is part of the "Saudi Seasons" festivals that represent one of the key engines that has provided a huge impetus to the Kingdom's tourism business and enabled the Kingdom to make giant leaps toward becoming one of the major tourist destinations in the world. In light of the multitude of major events and unique tourism experiences that continue throughout the year in most cities and regions across the Kingdom, these seasons have become a global tourism icon, capable of providing all the travel and tourism lovers around the world what they aspire to in terms of the beauty of cultural and natural diversity as well as world standard services at major tourist destinations. The Kingdom has set its goals in the backdrop of its ambitious Vision 2030, to make tourism and entertainment one of the most important areas that promote and stimulate the national economy, in addition to enhancing the quality of life program for both citizens and visitors. The capital city of Riyadh, through this Riyadh Season, has become an important international destination for tourists from around the world as it witnesses a pioneering renaissance in all vital fields besides the unique diversity of its activities. Through the Riyadh Season, the GEA and the Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage (SCTH) seek to advance tourism development in the Kingdom and achieve the goals of the future vision, which is based on upgrading local tourism and leisure sectors and enhancing the state's efforts to empower the Saudi citizen by providing important opportunities to entrepreneurs in the entertainment sector. While the Riyadh Season has achieved its objectives by activating the role of institutions and society to promote local tourism in accordance with international standards in regards to tourism and entertainment, and what the community aspires, which contributed to change the quality of life of citizens, visitors and tourists. The festival has changed the social lifestyle of the Saudi society so that the family can identify their entertainment needs through an electronic icon and enjoy the packages consisting of international entertainment, as well as cultural and social events and activities. — SG
