JEDDAH: The Saudi International Boat Show 2010 concluded Saturday after four days of big crowds of tourists and visitors from within the Kingdom and abroad, thanks to the reputation it earned from the first show last year, organizers said. The event is an addition to the Saudi identity and it had a great effect in boosting Saudi tourism, according to officials. The show confirmed that the Bride of the Red Sea, Jeddah, is a pioneer in organizing such exhibitions and that its marine environment suits organizing maritime-oriented exhibitions, they added. The event attracted almost 70,000 visitors and businessmen from throughout the Kingdom and Gulf and Arab countries, said Prince Abdullah Bin Saud Bin Muhammad, chairman of the Tourism Committee in Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry, chairman of the Board of Directors of Al-Ahlam Marine Tourism Group and chairman of the event's organizing committee. He pointed out that the Exhibition witnessed the signing of a number of agreements and business deals with boat and yacht manufacturing and importing companies, some of which displayed their watercraft in the pavilions. He confirmed that organizing the event in Jeddah, a city with resorts and boating activities, is a major change to tourism in the Kingdom. Prince Abdullah said that by 2020, according to the Kingdom's tourism development strategy, he expects Jeddah to host about 20 percent of domestic tourism and 25 percent of tourism from abroad. He pointed out that Jeddah is considered to be a prime tourist destination and one that is marketed on regional and international levels. The area's distinctive, important characteristics can make it a prominent area for tourism and related investment, Prince Abdullah said. The region's climate; easy accessibility by land, air and sea; 240-kilometer seafront and high rate of urban growth all help boost its appeal and potential, he said. He said future exhibitions would have more diversity and to meet the desires of the tourists and tourism-sector investors, along with more participation by relevant authorities. Mazin Batterjee, deputy chairman of the Board of Directors of the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said the show stood out because of the collective efforts of many authorities to acquaint people with it. He said that in the past, people did not know much about yachts and just came to see them and their prices, but this year's show coincided with a recreational tourism exhibition, which increased economic and cultural activity. Abdullah Qassim, executive vice president of Dubai International Commercial Center – the organizer of the event – said this year's show was considerably more developed than the first one because people have become more aware of events of this nature. The number of participating companies increased by 60 percent, he said.
