RIYADH, 15 July 2004 — Cultural tourism will be the focus of a massive restructuring of the Kingdom’s cultural and antiquities sector and the cornerstone of the national tourism policy, Prince Sultan ibn Salman, secretary-general of the Supreme Commission for Tourism (SCT), said in Barcelona yesterday.
Speaking at the opening session of the Barcelona Forum for Culture held in the Spanish city, Prince Sultan said: “We are not alone in this (focus on cultural tourism). According to the World Tourism Organization, all nations are embracing the increasing interest among world travelers in learning and experiencing other cultures. Cultural tourism today is one of the largest and fastest growing forms of tourism.”
This trend, he pointed out, is expected to continue as increased communications make it possible “for us to learn about each other and to talk to each other, and as advances in transportation make it easier for us to go to distant places and experience each other’s cultures.”
The theme of the session, headed by Prince Sultan, was tourism promotion as a means of promoting peace, cooperation and the preservation of cultural diversity as a catalyst for sustainable development. He was attending the session at the invitation of the governor of Barcelona.
Senior officials in charge of tourism from a number of countries, as well as senior executives of World Tourism Organization, are attending the forum devoted to tourism, cultural diversity and sustainable development.
Earlier, Prince Sultan told Arab News that SCT has surveyed 6,000 sites in the Kingdom, of which 1,675 sites have been identified as being rich in terms of their tourism potential. The survey determined the need for developing their infrastructure facilities and natural resources.
He said the commission would continue to encourage private sector participation in the development of tourism.
Elaborating on his statement, he said there will be four major components of the cultural tourism plan: urban heritage, development of archeological sites, handicrafts, and promotion of “intangible heritage like poetry and folklore.”
SCT is committed to supporting local handicrafts and participating in the local festivals, he added.
