JEDDAH, 15 June 2005 — Recreation & Leisure Fair (RALF) debuts at the Jeddah International Exhibition & Convention Center for six days from today.
The show, which heralds Jeddah Summer Festival 2005, will be inaugurated by Prince Abdul Aziz ibn Fahd ibn Abdullah, deputy secretary general for tourism, investment and marketing, Supreme Commission for Tourism (SCT), at 5 p.m. today.
The fair, aimed to promote domestic tourism across the Kingdom, is being held under the patronage of the SCT and supported by the Presidency of Youth Welfare, the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce & Industry, the Jeddah Mayoralty, Saudi Arabian Airlines, and the regional festival committees.
RALF, which is appearing on the exhibition scene for the first time, is in support of the Kingdom’s efforts to promote national and domestic tourism and attaches utmost importance to the interrelated activities under five attractive themes - Leisure, Live, Splash, Sport, and the Great Outdoors.
Jeddah Summer Festival activities will feature strongly with an emphasis on “What’s on and where.” The RALF, under its Leisure theme, will not be limited to attractions and events, but will also strongly feature domestic tourism and real estate, the spokesman for Al-Harithy Company for Exhibitions Ltd. (ACE) said. As domestic tourists need information on a wide range of subjects such as shopping, accommodation, car hire, restaurants, etc., RALF aims to provide the platform for those offering such services.
With the ever-increasing growth in domestic tourism along side Haj and Umrah tours, there has been a significant demand in real estate. “RALF includes this important sector, providing an ideal showcase to meet both families looking for new or second homes, as well as business professionals and entrepreneurs seeking commercial property within the increasingly important leisure and tourism industry,” he added.
RALF is aimed to provide a platform for launching a comprehensive program of tourism and recreation in Jeddah and the rest of the Kingdom offering tourists of varying age groups the opportunity to relax and enjoy their summer vacation in the Kingdom.
RALF is set with dynamic interactive indoor and outdoor features including beach volleyball, motorbike and quad stunt shows, scuba diving, roller blades competition, Sony PlayStation Arcade, Internet Café, Kids Zone for children’s hands-on activities and some handicrafts produced live.
RALF will be open from 5:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. daily up to June 20.