The hotels and their restaurants that are participating in the festival showcase local, regional and international cuisine and produce, from cheese, coffee, chocolates, and smoked meats to fruit and vegetables.

The two-week food festival, organized by the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA) in collaboration with the Tourism Promotion Council of Riyadh Province, brought together several diplomatic missions. Deputy chief of the US diplomatic mission Tom Williams launched last Saturday the American Kitchen pavilion as part of the festival.

Speaking on the occasion, Williams said the American kitchen was meant to familiarize Saudi visitors and residents with US food habits. He added that American food exports to the Kingdom had reached $1.3 billion in 2011 and hoped that this volume would grow this year.

The festival, according to an SCTA statement, is being held from Jan. 19 to Feb. 2. About 10 grand hotels in Riyadh are participating in the festival, such as Marriot Hotel with Spanish cuisine, Al Faisaliah Hotel with Indonesian cuisine, Four Seasons Hotel with Italian cuisine and Radisson Blu Hotel with Moroccan cuisine.

The festival has attracted a number of international chefs. Several entertainment shows for companies, families and individuals have also been launched. The festival, the statement said, will help provide tourism productivity for Riyadh.

The food festival is targeting all nationals. Besides promoting domestic tourism, these kinds of programs provide job opportunities for Saudis, help boost the national economy, and open up new avenues for other countries to tap the vibrant Saudi market for their own food products, said the statement. The Spanish food festival, inaugurated by Spanish Ambassador Pablo Bravo, is now the talk of the town.

The food festival in Marriot features Spanish recipes including traditional paella, a variety of hot and cold tapas and many other classic regional dishes. Greek Ambassador to the Kingdom Dimitrios Lestheosis opened the pavilion of the Greek food festival at another hotel amid several visitors and businessmen.

Besides the Riyadh Food Festival, the SCTA and other Saudi organizations have teamed up to organize 23 festivals and events this year, creating over 1,800 interim jobs in the tourism sector all over the Kingdom, according to Abdullah bin Abdul Malik Al-Morshid, director general of the tourism programs and products department at the SCTA. Al-Morshid added that a total of 21 tourism-related events were held during the same period last year and were attended by over 830,000 visitors.

These events last year also created 1,670 jobs for young Saudis who, besides benefiting from a new revenue stream, got exposure to their own cultural heritage and rich historical past. This year’s festivals will line up a slew of events, including environmental, heritage and cultural tourism, besides maritime sport and entertainment programs on the sidelines of the road show.

A result of the event is the multiplier effect of domestic tourism on the economy, with the business community being the main beneficiary. Tourism-related events like the food festival are also promoting the sale of handicrafts and agricultural products.