JEDDAH, 22 June 2005 — The Kingdom’s bid to go global with its tourism plan got a shot in the arm as entrepreneurs evinced keen interest to invest in this lucrative and rewarding sector. The Recreation & Leisure Fair (RALF), at the Jeddah International Exhibition & Convention Center, that ended on Monday was a resounding success. It recorded a turnout of more than 60,000 visitors.
While the fair’s nearly 60 exhibitors reported a “rewarding experience” due to multimillion riyal deals that they discussed or struck, visitors termed the event as something that interested every member of the family.
Young visitors were engrossed in various recreational activities. “I enjoyed myself here,” Abdullah Al-Saad, a student at Thagr School, remarked near the kids zone. “It was great watching children demonstrating martial arts,” said Muhammad Hafiz, a businessman who has his garments outlet at Tahlia Street. Boys showed interest in the motorbike show, electronic entertainment, boats and marine equipment, and camping and outdoor facilities exhibited at the fair.
Promotion of domestic tourism was in focus at the fair. The Kingdom has already taken effective steps to boost tourism.
In addition to the establishment of an independent body to encourage domestic tourism, the government has been issuing tourist visas allowing foreigners to visit historical places, museums and antiquities across the Kingdom.
Agencies promoting domestic tourism at the fair included the Supreme Commission for Tourism (SCT), with Prince Sultan ibn Salman as secretary-general, and Saudi Arabian Airlines. They emphasized on ensuring continuous development of the tourist industry without affecting the country’s culture, traditions and environment.
The plan is to make the Kingdom a leader in global tourism alongside millions of pilgrims who come for the annual Haj and year-round Umrah. This involves many incumbent tasks such as the assessment of the country’s tourism resources as well as the local market requirements, enforcement of new laws to ensure quality, training Saudi manpower, and enacting new regulations to facilitate investment, an official at the SCT pavilion said.
The fair also emphasized the role of the private sector in promoting tourism in the country in the light of its strong capabilities. “The private sector has already shown its ability to provide state-of-the-art tourist infrastructure facilities such as resorts, hotels, apartments, restaurants, shopping malls and recreation centers,” he added.
The show, which heralded Jeddah Summer Festival 2005, was held under the patronage of the Supreme Commission for Tourism and supported by the Presidency of Youth Welfare, the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce & Industry, the Jeddah Mayoralty, Saudi Arabian Airlines, and the Regional Festival Committees.
“RALF was designed to support the Kingdom’s efforts to promote national and domestic tourism and give utmost importance to various interrelated activities under five themes — leisure, live, splash, sport, and the great outdoors,” Zahoor Siddique, exhibitions director at Al-Harithy Company for Exhibitions Ltd. (ACE), which organized the fair, said.
