Care of the site will be transferred to the Archeology and Museums Department, Deputy Chairman of the SCTA Ali Al-Ghaban told the Saudi Press Agency on Wednesday.

“The compensation was paid following the order of SCTA president Prince Sultan bin Salman, who has made it a priority to compensate private owners of archaeological sites, including those acquired several years ago,” Al-Ghaban said.

He added that the commission had paid SR19 million to acquire sites such as Zubaidah and Malqata in Unaizah and Ayn Qannas in Ahsa.

Meanwhile, the SCTA is holding 18 tourism events across the Kingdom.

“The tourism festivals will be held through SCTA’s Event Sponsorship and Support Program, which seeks to contribute to the development of the local industry through relevant events,” Prince Sultan said on Tuesday.  He urged all citizens to spend time during the school mid-term holidays by touring Saudi Arabia.

“With the fast pace of modern life, members of the family probably hardly see or talk to each other because each one is busy with his or her own life. This is an ideal time, therefore, for parents and their children to bond by visiting tourism events in the provinces,” he said.

“Let our money circulate in the Saudi economy instead of somewhere else. Besides, there’s much of the Kingdom that many of us have not seen,” Prince Sultan said.

He stressed the importance of relevant events in improving domestic tourism in the provinces as well as their contribution to the marketing of heritage and agricultural products and promotion of handicraft and traditional activities.

This in turn improves the income of provincial residents and alleviates poverty, he added.

Prince Sultan emphasized the economic impact of the tourism sector, which generated SR1.2 billion last year.

“Accordingly, tens of thousands of temporary and permanent jobs were secured for local residents. This has enhanced tourism as a creator of job opportunities.”

— With input from Rudy Estimo Jr.