In line with typical Saudi hospitality, the guests of Capital Market Authority (CMA), including CEOs and executives of various financial institutions were invited by Jammaz Al-Suhaimi, former chairman of the CMA, to a dinner reception at the picturesque Al-Athriah Village near King Khaled International Airport.
Thanks to permission from Prince Abdul Aziz ibn Fahd who facilitated the visit, the visitors enjoyed the generous hospitality. On behalf of the prince, they were received on arrival by Abdullah Abdul Rahman Al-Nafissa, Chief Executive Office (CEO) of Diyar Najd. Arab News was the only Saudi newspaper along with foreign journalists and news channels which covered the Euromoney conference in Riyadh.
The guests were here to attend the Euromoney Saudi Conference 2006, “Building The Future” which was organized in collaboration with CMA, the Ministry of Finance and the Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority (SAGIA) which concluded in Riyadh last week.
The foreign delegation was accompanied by CMA’s Public Relations Director Sulaiman Al-Romi and other officials. Acting as tour guide, Al-Nafissa showed the visitors around the village. It showcaseds Saudi traditions and heritage and turns the spotlight on the social, commercial and agricultural practices. Al-Nafissa accompanied the guests into a building where he showed them the weaponry used by King Abdul Aziz’s Al-Saud’s soldiers a hundred years ago.
A Japanese journalist Hiroaki Kanazawa, the Cairo Bureau Chief of Nikkei, said that it was exciting to see such historic sites in Saudi Arabia. He added that many Japanese were interested in coming to Saudi Arabia as tourists and discovering the Kingdom. He wondered whether one day such an important cultural landmark as Al-Athriah would be open to foreign tourists. Edmund Olivier, the American managing director of Mirador, was greatly impressed by the speedy processing of visas. “I was here before but never experienced my visa to come so quickly. I got my visa in one day,” he said, explaining that he had applied for his visa by e-mail and received it a day later, also by e-mail.
The visitors were fascinated by the Arabian folk dances. Many of them got into the spirit of the moment and danced hand in hand with the Saudis, waving swords in their hands. They also went to the traditional souk where they witnessed some actual business. The idea was to give them a taste of a real Saudi lifestyle. They also looked at how to prepare Saudi food and how Saudi handicrafts were made. The old way of education also interested the visitors. They saw pupils repeating lessons in chorus after their teachers. Finally at the end of the tour, they were taken to a traditonal Arab dinner with its variety of food, vegetables and fruit.
