Speaking to the chairman and members of the Tourism Development Council in the Eastern Province on Saturday, Prince Sultan urged businessmen to launch a private airline for the region to facilitate travel. "There are good prospects for launching an airline for the Eastern Province," he said.Prince Sultan also called on Saudi Arabian Airlines to operate more flights to the province, making use of its newly purchased aircraft. The national carrier has signed deals with the Airbus and Boeing companies to purchase 88 new aircraft, of which 42 have already joined its domestic and international fleet networks."The next three years will see qualitative development in the province's tourism sector," the prince said while highlighting his organization's efforts to boost the Kingdom’s tourism industry.“There are a lot of tourism prospects in the Eastern Province including natural factors and heritage sites,” the SCTA chief said. “The people of the region are known for their love for tourism,” he said while urging businessmen to invest in tourism projects.He said the commission would provide all support to tourism activities in the region. He said Eastern Province Gov. Prince Muhammad bin Fahd has agreed to lay the foundation for a big museum in Dammam within three weeks. “The Raka archaeological site in the region will be converted into an open museum in coordination with Saudi Aramco,” he said.Speaking about SCTA’s efforts to develop tourism, the prince said: “We have presented 13 new laws to the higher authorities for approval. They include the general tourism law and the antiquities law. Once these laws are passed, tourism would become one of the major economic sectors providing a lot of jobs for Saudis.”Prince Sultan hoped the government would soon approve the establishment of a tourism development fund to finance tourism projects. “About 69 tourism festivals are held in different parts of the Kingdom annually,” he said, adding that they would play a big role in promoting domestic tourism.