In a unique move to boost domestic tourism, the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA) in cooperation with the Saudi Arabian Public Transport Company (SAPTCO) has announced free sightseeing tours for visitors and residents of Riyadh starting Saturday. During the week-long spring vacation, visitors to Riyadh and its residents will enjoy free visits to prominent landmarks in the city, said Abdul-Rahman Al-Jassas, Executive Manager, Riyadh Provincial Tourism Office (PTO). In a statement Al-Jassas said there will be two ‘free-of-charge' sightseeing tours every day from Prince Salman Science Oasis at King Abdullah Street. The first tour will start at 4.30 PM and the second at 6.30 PM, he said. SAPTCO will organize the tours by providing comfortable buses, he added. “The sightseeing tours are aimed at increasing the awareness of domestic tourism among visitors to the city of Riyadh and its residents,” he said. Al-Jassas said that a tour guide will accompany each sightseeing tour. The guide will give a brief summary of the landmark besides answering any queries posed by the visitors, he said. By organizing such sightseeing tours, the SCTA will introduce the city's landmarks and arouse interest in sightseeing in the Central Province besides encouraging tour operators to initiate similar projects that promote domestic tourism, he added. This way the sense of Riyadh as a tourism city will be developed and people will be interested in participating in the spring festivals, Al-Jassas said. The sightseeing tours will include landmarks, shopping centers and historical sites, such as, King Abdulaziz Historical Center, Al-Masmak Palace, Old Dir'iyah, Riyadh Gallery, Al-Aziziyah Mall, Granada, Kingdom Center and Al-Faisaliah Tower, and Zal traditional market. Al-Jassas said the Riyadh PTO will bear the cost of sightseeing by paying the wages of tour guides and the cost of advertising campaigns. Tareq Al-Rashdan, a university student, was excited to learn about the guided sightseeing tours saying he came to Riyadh for study but seldom has had a chance to visit any tourist spots. “The organized tour will certainly offer me a chance to learn about my country's historical places and other landmarks,” he said.
