JEDDAH, 13 September - Prince Sultan ibn Salman, Secretary-General of the Supreme Commission for Tourism, has said that SCT is pushing for the implementation of a Cabinet decision to issue foreign tourist visas.
"Within a few weeks, the decision will be activated and developed in light of the commission's studies," he told Arab News. But the prince did not say when the Kingdom will start issuing tourist visas and pointed out that every decision adopted by the Cabinet be implemented only after studies have been conducted.
"The commission will not interfere in this process," he added.
Prince Sultan said the commission's activities were going ahead as planned.
"We are making steady and firm steps toward progress. We don't want to take any hurried decisions," he added.
He said the Kingdom wanted to develop tourism as a full-fledged industry. "But it needs good organization and will take time," he pointed out.
The Kingdom's national tourism plan will be formulated within a year. "There is a media plan to promote tourism which will be ready within months," he said.
Prince Sultan emphasized the need to protect the nature and environment to boost tourism.
"The growth of tourism will fall with the decline of the environment," he warned.
The Kingdom's national tourism plan will take into consideration the country's declared principles, its heritage, the culture and traditions of Saudi society, its natural resources, its economic feasibility and its effective participation in the various sectors.
The commission has already signed a contract with Earnest and Young, an international consulting company specialized in planning and studies, to set out a comprehensive plan to develop tourism in the Kingdom.
The long-term plan will evolve the country's tourism requirements for the next 20 years. During the third phase of this process, a number selective tourism projects will be offered for investment.
The commission has already started conducting a survey of tourist sports in the Kingdom. "We are now in the second phase of this process. We wanted to know the tourist attractions in the Kingdom and their present condition in order to develop them."
"Our aim is to create a suitable atmosphere for the development of tourism in various tourist regions," the secretary-general said. "We will create a suitable environment to achieve a balanced and continuously developed tourism," he added.
Referring to the consulting council and groups, he said they were established to make use of the expertise of officials in various tourism-related sectors, to identify the priorities of the national tourism plan and find solutions to the problems facing the sector. "The council and the groups will advise the commission to develop the sector, revise policies and programs, review strategic choices," he explained.
Asked about his recent visits to different regions in the Kingdom, Prince Sultan said they were to participate in tourist activities and get to know better tourist facilities and installations.
During his visit to the Asir region, Prince Sultan toured a number of gardens and recreation centers as well as the Rijal Al-Mae museum, which includes a 200-year-old building and rare antiquities.
