President of the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA) Prince Sultan bin Salman has said regulations governing rest houses on highways will be issued in a few days.
“The new regulations for rest houses on highways will bring about a qualitative shift in the tourism sector, because 92 percent of our tourists travel on highways. Final touches to the regulations are currently being given,” Prince Sultan said while speaking at the inaugural function of the tourism festival in the Eastern Province on Tuesday.
He said several municipalities, such as the Riyadh municipality, had closed some rest houses as part of their efforts to improve tourist facilities on highways. “The SCTA in collaboration with Saudi Automotive Services Co. (SASCO) has started constructing model rest houses with the aim of presenting an ideal image of the country’s tourism industry,” the prince said.
During the opening function, Eastern Province Gov. Prince Muhammad bin Fahd was designated as the chairman of the Tourism Development Council of the province. “The appointment of Prince Muhammad to the council will be a great boost to the tourism sector in the Eastern Province,” Prince Sultan said, adding it was not the first time a provincial governor had been appointed chairman of the council. The prince was hinting at the erstwhile appointment of Makkah Gov. Prince Khaled Al-Faisal as the supervisor of Makkah’s tourism council, Al-Eqtisadiah business daily reported on Thursday.
The prince also noted that there was considerable increase in organizing different kinds of tourist festivals in different parts of the country.
The SCTA is currently striving to make the tourism sector a huge economic base with a suitable work environment accompanied by plenty of manpower and infrastructure, the prince said. He pointed out that the presence of many sponsoring companies for festivals is a proof of the growing interest in the sector. However, he noted it would take some time to show results of the steps taken to activate the sector.
The specialized societies for development of the tourism sector will be set up in collaboration with the Social Affairs Ministry, he said.
The move to regulate the rental apartment sector follows the regulating of the hotel sector. The SCTA has divided all hotels into different categories. In the same manner, the apartments in the hotel sector in Makkah and Madinah have been categorized.
The new regulations in the sector will take care of unfair pricing and poor services at some apartments.
He said the apartment sector was a vital component of the national economy, particularly as it generates thousands of jobs for local people. He said efforts were being made to make financing available for those who are interested to invest in the field.
