The Supreme Tourism Commission has organized a three-day trip for Saudis and expatriates to various historical sites in and near Riyadh. The commission said in a press release that some of the Saudis and expatriates who took the tour were surprised that some of these places even existed, saying that they had never heard of them before. Some of the tourists said they are glad that they have been introduced to these places, adding that they will take their families there. The tour came on the sidelines of the Tourism and Travel Forum held last week in Riyadh. The group was first taken to Saqr Al-Jazirah (Peninsula Falcon) Museum, which had been open since 1999 and had been expanded and developed several times since. “There is impressive turnout at the museum, whether during holidays or normal days,” said Uqab Al-Harbi, a tour guide at the museum. “The museum includes the late King Abdul Aziz's private plane.” The plane is perched in the middle of a hall among several other ancient aircraft used in the Kingdom througout its history. The tourists were shown inside the plane, which King Abdul Aziz had used on his first flight from Afif to Hoyah with a number of his sons and tribal chiefs in 1944. They were also shown the corner of Prince Sultan Bin Salman, Saudi Arabia's first astronaut, which displays some of the items he took with him on his historical trip to space in the late 1980s. The visitors were also taken to the house of King Abdul Aziz and the Murabba' Palace. “This tour has enriched my information of the Kingdom and my love for it,” said Ahmed Shahin, a Palestinian expatriate who has been in the Kingdom for 20 years. “I've seen things as they used to be after years of just hearing about them.” He added that although he lives near the museum, he never once thought of visiting it on his own. “Now I want to go everyday,” he quipped. Rashed Al-Luhaidan, a Saudi teacher who was transferred to Riyadh two years ago, said he has gained a vast wealth of additional knowledge from the tour. “Museums are great educational tools,” he said. “The knowledge I gained here today will help me become a better teacher.” Saeed Al-Zahrani, an aviation enthusiast, said he learned about the Kingdom's first airport and a number of aircraft that operated in the Kingdom throughout its history. “It's an honor to see the inside of King Abdul Aziz's airplane,” he said. Ahmed Azhar, an Indian expatriate who has been in the Kingdom for years, said that his work and family had taken so much of his time that he never managed to visit any museums. “I took this opportunity to join the commission's tour, but nothing could have prepared me for the amazement I was about to experience,” he said. “Tourism is now a major concern with people in the Kingdom, and such sites should be visited more often.” Earlier this month, the Council of Ministers had endorsed a law that would organize investment in tourism sites and have them protected by law. __
