JEDDAH — Saeed Jamaan, a veteran tourist guide in the Kingdom, recounted that it was pure chance that made him acquire three foreign languages 50 years ago, thanks to his passion for social work and serving tourists. He still cherishes sweet memories of being honored by Prince Sultan Bin Salman while he was the chairman of the Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage (SCTH), and calling him the "Towering Tourist Guide" in the Kingdom. Jamaan, who is suffering from age-related health problems, is sad at his inability to continue his favorite mission of briefing tourists on the Kingdom's rich culture and heritage at a time when the country is witnessing huge inflow of foreign tourists following the government's launch of the tourist visa (e-visa) regime for 49 countries. Jamaan, who is popular as "Abu Sind" recalled, while speaking to Okaz/Saudi Gazette, that he started his career with a small job in the carpentry sector in Saudi Aramco in the Eastern Province. "It was purely accidental that I came across a Red Cross worker and that enabled him to move to work with the International Red Cross based in the southern region of the Kingdom." Jamaan said that working with the Red Cross facilitated him to have vast experiences in dealing with medical cases as well as becoming proficient in the foreign languages — English, French and German. "This in turn helped me to switch over eventually to my favorite field of guiding tourists in the southern region of Najran. This was also instrumental in enabling me to build extensive relations with foreigners, especially Europeans," he said. Jamaan shared an interesting anecdote on how he joined the profession of a tourist guide. "I was surprised when I received an invitation from a tourism committee that summoned me and asked me some questions, and after a couple of days I was instructed to go to Riyadh. "I was afraid and wondered why I was being called and that nagging feeling kept me awake that night. Though one of my friends knew the secret of me being summoned, he kept me in the dark and only told me about it on the next day." Jamaan continued: "I left for Riyadh, boarding the plane for the first time in my life, to attend a meeting of tour guides where I met with Prince Sultan Bin Salman, who asked me: Do you speak English? I told him: fluently." "Our discussion continued and figured on many tourism-related issues," he said, adding, that it was Prince Sultan who conferred on him the title of the "Biggest tourist guide in the Kingdom" in one of the celebrations during which the prince honored him with a memorial shield in appreciation of his work. Jamaan was in tears when he explained his inability to continue serving tourists because of health problems. "I am sad that I cannot continue my work in the service of tourism and contribute to informing the visitors to the Kingdom of its history and heritage, and the Kingdom's progress and prosperity in various fields." Jamaan noted that he was crippled with a disease and underwent a lung transplant to assist in breathing, but his health condition deteriorated and the doctors decided that he was not fit to undergo further surgical operation.
