MANAMA, 24 September 2003 — Saudi Arabia plans to spend 1.3 billion riyals ($347 million) over the next five years to develop its tourism industry, a senior official said yesterday.
Prince Sultan ibn Salman, secretary-general of the Supreme Commission for Tourism (SCT), said investment in the sector was not affected by recent bombings in the country.
“We plan to invest 1.3 billion riyals over the next five years. We have shown the government our five-year plan in which we will carry out an intense restructuring of the tourism sector,” he told Reuters in an interview.
Prince Sultan said plans included setting up a tourism information and research center, joint ventures, developing new tourism areas and attracting investments. “In five years the government might have returns of around 11 billion riyals (on investment in tourism),” he said, speaking on the sidelines of a tourism conference in Bahrain.
SCT was set up three years ago to develop the tourism sector. The Kingdom gets around 7.5 million visitors per year, most of them pilgrims. The visits contribute up to nine percent to the gross domestic product, second after oil.
“The government sees tourism as the industry of the future and has focused its attention on it,” Prince Sultan said.
“We will open new doors to tourism in all areas: sports, cultural visits, family tours, adventures and other attractions for foreigners.”
SCT’s web site (www.sauditourism.gov.sa) boasted of such attraction’s as the country’s historical sites and spectacular desert landscapes as well as swimming, diving and parachuting.
Asked if the May suicide bombings against compounds housing Westerners in the capital Riyadh, which killed 35 people, and police clashes with militants had affected investment, he said: “On the contrary, there is confidence in the ability of the government to deal with such incidents.
