JEDDAH, 5 December 2003 — The Shoura Council will discuss next Sunday the general strategy for domestic tourism which aims at creating at least two million jobs.
The strategy is meant not only to increase the number of foreign tourists coming to the Kingdom but also to reduce the number of Saudis going to tourist destinations abroad.
According to a study prepared by the Supreme Commission for Tourism (SCT), Saudi tourists spent nearly SR35 billion in 2000 or 5.4 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP).
The study expects that Saudis will spend some SR80 billion on tourism by 2020. It also points out that the number of tourists coming to the Kingdom will exceed 45 million by the same year.
Saudi Arabia is trying to make headway in attracting both Saudi and foreign tourists. The SCT has embarked on a project to develop 10,000 tourist attractions in 40 areas of the Kingdom.
The SCT study proposes the establishment of a tourism promotion fund, revising of financial policies and facilitating banking services to promote domestic tourism.
In a related development, the SCT’s office in Madinah has prepared a continuous tourism development plan for the region. “The plan aims at making Madinah a major international tourism destination within the next 20 years,” an official statement said.
The plan also aims at achieving economic, social, cultural and environmental objectives. “Madinah will be promoted as a prime destination for cultural tourism,” the statement said.
The Madinah region will require huge investments to develop its tourist attractions, establish recreational centers and provide the variety of needed services.
