Hundreds of members of the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice (Haia) have undergone a training program helping them to better deal with tourists and holiday makers in various provinces.
The training program was conducted by the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA). It trained 450 members of the Haia who will be sent to serve at tourist locations and other popular places.
The SCTA organized 12 programs in 12 provinces over the past five months. Another course was also conducted in Riyadh with 50 participants.
President of the commission Sheikh Abdul Latif Al-Asheikh said his organization recently signed an agreement with SCTA to train its staff to work in tourist establishments and provide them with the needed skills to interact with people. He added: “The agreement included training Haia staff at SCTA’s expense.”
"The Haia members will start working at different places of tourist importance in the Kingdom soon," said Al-Asheikh in a statement, released here yesterday. "The members of the religious police received intensive training to be able to maintain law and order in tourist areas and to deal with different echelons of society including people of different nationalities and religions," he added.
He said the program also aimed to familiarize commission members with the concept of tourism and its locations. The program also trained Haia members on how to deal with foreign tourists without compromising Islamic values.
The plan, he said, is to streamline the tourism sector and to ensure crime-free atmosphere at the sites flocked by Saudis, residents as well as foreign visitors. It will help the Saudi government's keen desire in promoting tourism, which is rapidly emerging as a key sector in terms of boosting revenue. In fact, the direct contribution of travel and tourism to Saudi Arabia's GDP is expected to reach $ 14.9 billion, or 2.9 percent in 2012, up from $ 10.4 billion in 2009, or 2.7 percent, at the peak of the financial crisis.
“Both institutions have to work together in order to boost tourism and serve tourists within the framework of Islamic teachings,” he said. Besides religious tourism, sightseeing in Saudi Arabia covers beautiful desert landscapes and the heritage points in the country. Tourists can also choose to travel to the country during the festival months and partake in festivals and events. Saudi tourism has developed rapidly attracting millions of tourists every year from across the world.
Al-Asheikh said the selection of participants was made on the basis of rank and how much they would benefit. He added similar programs would be conducted in the future.
He also underscored the importance of maintaining close relations between the SCTA and Haia.
Since assuming his office as Haia president on Jan. 13, Al-Asheikh has been taking a number of measures to improve his organization’s services and public image. The Haia has been organizing training courses to ensure its members deal with people in a discreet and polite way.
While addressing Haia members early this month in Riyadh, Al-Asheikh called on the commission to show leniency to people and strive to remove fear and wrong impressions about the commission among members of society.
On that occasion, Al-Asheikh also quoted Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah’s advice to him on becoming the Haia chief: “Beware, don’t do any harm or cause harassment to citizens. Show mercy to those erroneous and don’t exceed proper bounds in the case of suspects. Always advise people gently.”
Al-Asheikh also emphasized the fact that the duty of Haia members was not confined to monitoring people during prayer time. He also warned members to be cautious, claiming a section of the media was attempting to tarnish the commission’s image.
Haia staff trained in tourist interaction
