DAMMAM, 20 July 2003 — The Summer Festival 24 in the Eastern Province has gained momentum after an initially lukewarm response, and organizers hope that it will become more popular and generate good business.
The Summer Festival started here nearly a fortnight ago, and various programs and facilities were inaugurated at prime locations. Prince Abdul Aziz ibn Fahd ibn Abdullah, chairman of the Eastern Province Tourism Authority, inaugurated a carnival near Dammam Iskan, Half Moon Beach and at Al-Rashid Mall. Al-Rashid Mall also has an exhibition that depicts the cultural heritage of the region.
The facility at Half Moon Beach is becoming very popular among visitors from neighboring cities like Riyadh and some GCC countries like Bahrain, Kuwait and even Qatar. Many tourists are camping in the area. The chalets and other tourist resorts in the Half Moon Beach area are reporting moderate business, and Prince Muhammad Amusement Park at the Beach is drawing a large crowd. As the sun goes down, people throng Al-Rashid Mall. It is popular, primarily because people can combine leisure with shopping. Most of the shops at the Mall have something special to offer on top of the Summer Festival discount.
The festival has succeeded in diverting people’s attention from the terror scare, and although security around all the facilities is tight, visitors are not worried about attacks. Few Westerners are around, but their absence had been noticeable at all such events even before the Riyadh bombings.
A general feeling here is that if such festivals were organized during the winter break and Ramadan, they would be an even greater success, an assessment shared by businessmen and some chamber officials.
