Prince Sultan personally failed to find a seat to AbhaJEDDAH – Prince Sultan Bin Salman, President of the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities, has admitted that even after a decade of the establishment of the organization, the Kingdom's tourism industry “is less active.” In an exclusive interview, Prince Sultan promised to upgrade investment and remove obstacles by providing higher authorities with precise details about shortcomings relating to domestic tourism. The SCTA chief said the aviation, electricity and water sectors have adversely affected domestic tourism, but this does not “affect the determination to overcome all the difficulties, despite there being a number of them.” He stressed that “one hand does not clap,” meaning there is a need for collective efforts to remove obstacles to improving domestic tourism. There are problems with airlines, said Prince Sultan. “I feel sorry when a tourist does not find a seat on a flight to a tourist spots in the Kingdom.” In discussing air travel, he admitted that “the prices are exorbitant” and said he personally faced a problem in reserving seats when he tried to fly to Abha. Prince Sultan stressed that the problem of people not finding flight reservations and airlines not providing seats on planes is much bigger than some people imagine. He said his office once had to send three officials from Riyadh to Jeddah to attend meetings, but they could not find any seats on the flights. He said he was forced to speak to an important person to secure the reservations, despite the fact that he is a member of the Board of Directors of the General Authority for Civil Aviation. Prince Sultan said he is regularly asked why Saudi Telecom can provide timely services at competitive prices and local airline companies can't provide reservations for passengers to the Kingdom's tourist regions. The SCTA has also received complaints from a number of investors who have been harmed by the power outages, said Prince Sultan, who added that the matter is being studied. At the general level, he said, the SCTA needs support from all sectors related to tourism. He said he is not talking about negligence, but about a need for individuals, official agencies and companies to take the required attitude to support domestic tourism. Prince Sultan said that despite the obstacles he mentioned, citizens are still taking vacations in the Kingdom. He said he spoke with the Governor of Taif and learned that hotels there were full, a development that exceeded his expectations. While there are efforts exerted by tourism committees and governorates in the regions, the matter requires strong support from the state, he said. Asked what Turaif Al-Dera'iah being included in the World Heritage List means to him, Prince Sultan said it means a lot because recognition by an international organization adds to the Kingdom's stature as a nation rich in history. The inclusion, he said, follows recognition that the Kingdom is home to the oldest and most deep-rooted civilizations. These actions reflect the SCTA's efforts in the last 10 years to realize the goal of distinctive national, cultural and urban tourism, he said. Speaking about the Historical Area of Jeddah, Prince Sultan said his organization has made big strides with the UNESCO team in their effort to register the site on the World Heritage List. Madaen Saleh will tell the story of the pre-Islamic period, he said, and Jeddah's Historical Area, the gateway to the Two Holy Mosques, will tell the story of the Islamic era.
