tape is hampering the execution of tourism projects in the Kingdom, according to Prince Abdullah Bin Saud, Chairman of the Tourism Committee at the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JCCI). “If these projects are run like those in the private sector, a quantum leap would have been achieved in the tourism field,” he said. He said 10 million people have visited the Kingdom, which was an encouraging sign for domestic tourism. He said that travel companies have tourist visas which are given to a limited number of tourists. If the experiment proves to be successful, it will be implemented fully. Wajdi Al-Idrisi, Assistant Director General of Saudia for Private Aviation, said the company is contributing to tourism development. He said Saudia will devote its Falcon X7 fleet to transport tourists to archeological sites across the Kingdom. The first tourist flight took off last week to Al-Ula with 15 passengers. Meanwhile, Adnan Mandoura, Secretary General of the JCCI, said the recent tourism exhibition in the city was a resounding success. He thanked Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, Emir of Makkah and Prince Sultan Bin Salman Bin Abdul Aziz, Secretary General of the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities, for their support. He said the Board of Directors at the JCCI is giving due attention to tourism in the Kingdom. He said the tourism industry will be successful if the needs of domestic tourists can be met. He urged the Ministry of Education to educate students about tourism and to organize tourist trips to archaeological sites in the Kingdom.
