RIYADH, 5 July 2005 — The three-week-long Riyadh Tourist Festival, which will conclude on July 7, has been hailed as a success, with tens of thousands of visitors thronging the festival complex.
However, random inquiries with non-Arabic speaking expatriates showed that none of them was aware of the 140-event festival, even though it was described as the festival “for all the people of Riyadh,” including expatriates.
The reason for the absence of non-Arab expatriates from the festival has been attributed to the focus on Saudi and Arab nationals. All the promotional material was published in Arabic and on Arabic broadcasting channels.
Acknowledging that it was a mistake to have concentrated only on the Arabic media, Dr. Turki Al-Ayyar, director of the media committee of Riyadh Tourist Festival, said that this shortcoming would be rectified next time.
“We want to assure the expatriate community that this festival is meant for citizens and expatriates alike. We do recognize the role of the expatriates in the development of our economy. However, this was our first experience,” he said.
Dr. Turki said the main thrust of the festival this time was on promoting family tourism. The scope of the festival would be broadened next time to include more events for the youth. This decision was taken on the basis of the feedback received from the young.
Dr. Abdul Aziz Al-Magoushi, assistant secretary general for media affairs, said the festival had three components — events organized by governmental organizations, those organized by the private sector and chamber-organized activities. The chamber had set up committees to work with recreation centers and shopping complexes to handle arrangements.
“We shall see how it works out,” said Dr. Al-Magoushi. “In the light of our experience, we shall take steps to rectify the shortcomings in future.”
He said all shopping and recreation centers offered up to 30 percent discounts during the festival period, while hotels are giving generous discounts.
Five star hotels also will organize package tours for domestic tourists, including a special three-day program at discounted prices for newlyweds.
Dr. Al-Magoushi said the tourist festival would mark the start of a series of such events to be held annually during the vacation period.
The chamber has set up a special venue off Exit 10 for expatriates visiting Riyadh. He said thousands of people visited their pavilion for information on future events.
The festival features a variety of entertainment programs, including lectures on Saudi literature and other aspects of Saudi culture. There are fireworks, car racing, remote-controlled jets and propeller-driven flying chairs in the recreation center.
“This is just the starting point of the exercise. In the light of the feedback that we receive, we shall decided what more programs should be added in future,” he observed.
