Prince Sultan bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, President of the Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage (SCTH), praised the efforts exerted by the city of Abha as the "Capital of Arab Tourism 2017". Prince Sultan also extended appreciation and support of Prince Faisal bin Khalid bin Abdulaziz, Governor of Asir Province, for the success of the Arab world's capital of tourism event. At the opening ceremony of "Abha is the Capital of Arab Tourism", Prince Sultan bin Salman announced in a press briefing the continued support of the Custodian of the Two Holly Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz for the tourism sector, stating that new tourism projects will be announced in several regions across the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The SCTH president also said that the country is expanding the scope of the tourism sector to become a strong force in the economic industry and to generate employment and investment opportunities. He said "the SCTH has opened investment opportunities for citizens to get directly involved in running different economic sectors. Also, new investors, like international hotel companies, will be allowed to enter the economic sector to boost tourism in Saudi Arabia. Asir Municipality will make major gains following the launch of the tourism finance program later this year and Abha will witness a major shift in its economic growth". Prince Sultan bin Salman said, "We embrace Saudi citizens interested in becoming stakeholders in the tourism sector and we are also working with the Ministry of Education to begin offering investment opportunities for students as well."
