JEDDAH, 29 July 2005 — Prince Sultan ibn Salman, the secretary-general of the Supreme Commission for Tourism, accompanied by 350 divers, participated in the Kingdom’s largest-ever beach cleanup campaign that was launched yesterday morning in Jeddah. Some 165 divers took part in the first dive and removed 3 tons of garbage.

The Supreme Commission for Tourism organized the campaign in collaboration with the Makkah Governorate. The purpose of the campaign is to remove garbage and waste that is destroying the coral reefs and to protect one of the Kingdom’s main tourist and environmental assets.

Prince Sultan said: “My experience with my colleague divers deep in the Red Sea was a mixture of both happiness and sorrow. Happiness at what I’ve seen of the stunning natural resources of our beaches and shores, not only in the coastline but deep inside. The stunning and diverse coral reefs and sea creatures that may not exist anywhere else in the world are here close to our shores.

“However, the sad part is that these coral reefs are being destroyed by people we wish to educate on the importance of preserving natural treasures through good habits and practices.

“We aim with this campaign to achieve sustainability which is the main requirement in building up national tourism in cooperation with key partners to activate a series of campaigns and programs in order to create a robust tourism industry.”

Prince Sultan added that the campaign is part of a larger and comprehensive program called “Leave No Trace,” supported by interested public and private sector organizations. It is an internationally recognized program about environmental awareness and the need to preserve it.

Prince Sultan highlighted the strong connection between tourism and the environment with ecotourism representing a key sector in the world with a growth rate of 10-20 percent of tourists annually.

Prince Sultan said that creating awareness about the importance of preserving the environment, whether land or marine, had become a paramount concern.

This was especially so because the rising population of the Kingdom and the increase in the number of visitors to various places eroded the attractiveness of these areas and endangered the natural habitats of wildlife and marine creatures, he added.

“This can only be countered by educating and training the citizens and residents on the principles of responsible behavior in order to preserve the natural environment.”

Commenting on the campaign, Prince Abdullah ibn Saud ibn Mohammed, head of the Organizing Committee, praised the SCT for organizing the event and thanked all relevant partners including the various government agencies, dive centers, and sponsors involved in making this campaign a success. He went on to say that the campaign was launched successfully with more than 350 divers taking part.

Abdul Rauf Banaja, a financial consultant based in Jeddah and one of the participating divers said: “I dived in this area around 22 years back, it was colorful back then and filled with sea life, the color and life has completely changed. Most of the coral has died out: It’s very sad.” He added that it’s wonderful to clean up but it is better to start an awareness campaign beginning with schools. The presence of women at the event was significant.

Maggie Andriopoulos, a diving instructor, who helped coordinate the event said it was exciting for divers to participate in such a campaign.

“It’s great for the environment and the public needs to be aware of the importance of keeping the environment clean.”

Fawaz Al-Muwalad from the Saudi Arabian Airlines public relations office said Saudis were becoming more aware of environmental issues and the collaboration between the government and the private sector was excellent. “This cooperation is paying rich dividends,” he said.

Over 13 voodoo curses were found by divers and brought up to shore. The items were examined by members of the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice.

Sheikh Khalid Ahmad Al-Mufarg, a member of the Commission, said that they opened and read verses from the Holy Qur’an to undo the black magic. Some of the items found had pictures of people, others had lots of tied knots.

“Each knot represents a person,” said Al-Mufarg. “One we found here today which had razors is considered to be one of the worst — it brings pain to the person bewitched.”

“We are happy that today’s beach cleanup drive not only cleaned sea but may have put a lot of people out of their miseries.”

Salman Al Ahmadi, head of the Technical Committee, explained that the divers were divided into groups to remove small and light garbage first then the heavy items. The garbage removed weighed three tons and included tires, cans, plastic ropes, pipes and chairs.

The Technical Committee expects to remove more than seven tons of garbage by the end of the third dive scheduled to take place today.

Col. Fahad Al Njefan, head of the Safety and Security Committee said that a plan was developed in partnership with all the parties involved to guarantee maximum safety. On hand were a 20-member rescue team and a number of coast guard boats. The Red Crescent and the Ministry of Health participated.

PERSGA participated at the event by presenting a number of educational programs highlighting the importance of preserving the Red Sea coral reefs, which are among the richest and most beautiful marine environments in the world with a wide range of aquatic life including 250 registered coral types representing the largest diversity in the Indian Ocean.

The Kingdom’s marine environment, as with other natural resources, must be protected, said one official, and all participants in the beach cleanup campaign should call upon their fellow citizens to join them in preserving this national asset for future generations.

Naif Al Shalhoub, head of the Educational Committee, said that a comprehensive educational and promotional campaign was developed and a series of publications printed to educate the public on the importance of preserving the marine environment and the sport of diving as a valuable tourist attraction.

Government organizations participating in the campaign included the Municipality of Jeddah, the Ministry of Information, the Ministry of Water & Electricity, the coast guards, Jeddah Police Department, the Presidency of Youth Welfare, and the Presidency of Meteorology and Environment.

The Kingdom’s leading dive operators are participating in this campaign by providing technical support and equipment to the divers. They include: Dream Divers, Red Sea Divers, Desert Sea Divers, Blue Reef Divers, The Diving Center, Durrah Al Arous, Jeddah Marine Club, Alkhorayef Scuba Centers, Makkah Divers, United Diving Center, and Red Sea Pearl Divers. The campaign was sponsored by Express Foods Company Ltd (Al Baik), Coca-Cola, Al Ahlam Group, and the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce & Industry.