JEDDAH, 24 January — Prince Sultan ibn Salman, secretary-general of the Higher Tourism Authority, said yesterday that steps had been taken to develop the country's tourism sector with the cooperation of Saudi Arabian Airlines.
"This is the first step toward realizing the goal," he told reporters during a visit to the Saudia's head office here.
Dr. Khaled Bakr, director general of Saudia, conducted Prince Sultan around an exhibition that demonstrated the airline's readiness to meet the challenges of domestic tourism.
Prince Sultan and Saudia officials discussed efforts to promote domestic tourism as well as the future of the tourist industry in the Kingdom. The airline's tourism programs also came to the fore during the discussions.
The Saudi government has decided to expand the tourism sector in its bid to diversify revenue sources and create job opportunities for Saudis.
Prince Sultan reviewed with Saudia officials various aspects of aviation culture and hoped to realize the objectives through the proposed Saudi Aviation Club. The club's establishment has already been approved by the Council of Ministers.
The meeting also took into consideration the services and programs in all sectors of tourism promotion as well as the ways and means of forging further cooperation between the HTA and Saudia.
Exhibits included the uniforms of cockpit and cabin crew, different types of snacks, meals and beverages offered to passengers, as well as the first aid facilities on board Saudia's aircraft.
The latest computer network involving the departure control system, and reservations and ticketing was also demonstrated. Among exhibits were some of the recent international awards received by the airline. One of them was for its duty-free brochure in Braille, Abdul Aziz Al-Mohsen, who received one of the awards on behalf of the airline, said.
