The 7th Jazan Winter Festival, which was to have come to a close on March 16, has been extended for another month, thanks to the tremendous response from visitors from all over the Kingdom. The festival was opened by Jazan Emir and the Tourism Development Council Chairman Prince Muhammad Bin Nasser on Jan. 16 at a venue on Al-Marjan Island. The festival is organized jointly by the Jazan Governorate and the Supreme Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA). The opening session was featured by folk dances and songs, staged by artists from various regions of Jazan.
Rustom Magboul Al-Kubaisi, executive director of Jazan Tourism Development Council, said this year's festival with the theme of “Jazan's spring and flowers are for all” focuses on cultural and sports events that showcase the region's rich cultural identity and heritage. It also aimed at achieving the region's all round tourism development and in turn agricultural and industrial progress. Trade fairs, educational, cultural and literary programs, family events, media exhibition, horse race, football, beach volleyball, paragliding, cruising, marathon runs, and sailing races were being held as part of the festival. A number of fun-filled activities have been lined up, including traditional operetta, light and sound shows, fireworks, popular art troupe, jet-skiing, car and animals shows and circus.
M. Thaha, branch manager of operations at Jazan's Adnan Maritime Company, told Saudi Gazette that there has been an unprecedented increase in the number of visitors and tourists to the festival after making the Jazan Heritage Village a permanent facility. Thaha, a local journalist, is a regular visitor of the village and festival ever since their launching in 2009. “Normally, doors of the village remain open only during the days of the Winter Festival. But from this year onward, the authorities have decided to open the village throughout the year on a permanent basis. This resulted in more tourists to the village to know closely the huge treasures of Jazan's heritage and culture,” he said. Hamad Ali Mohsin Dugdagi, director of media center at the village, said that so far around 500,000 people visited the village during the last two months of the festival. He said that the festival adds to various tourism potentials of the province, which is famous for its natural beauty, rich heritage, great culture and pleasant weather. The festival attracts families through a variety of heritage, recreational, sports and marine activities in addition to poetry evenings, training forums and female exclusive activities.
The festival also aims to promote trade and tourism in Jazan and draw people from around the Kingdom. All recreational and entertaining activities are included in the itinerary of the festival. There are also many activities, which urge visitors to come back to the region every year to experience, among other things, its natural wealth, and to make people aware of the concept of tourism as a reflection of original Arabian hospitality.
Winter Festival includes a group of events for productive families, children's theater, a theme park, and traditional restaurants. One of the objectives of the festival is to create awareness in the community about the importance of tourism activities and the job opportunities for the region's residents by encouraging and promoting sale of their home made products.
