JEDDAH, 1 June 2007 — Makkah Gov. Prince Khaled Al-Faisal will open the Jeddah Summer Festival on July 12. Organized by the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JCCI), the festival is expected to attract three million tourists and holidaymakers from within Saudi Arabia and neighboring Arab and Gulf countries.
“The governor has asked JCCI members to work out an overall picture of the festival. He also set up a working team comprising representatives from the chamber and the governorate to make the event a big success,” said Saleh Al-Turki, chairman of JCCI, after a meeting with Prince Khaled on Wednesday.
Prince Khaled, who was appointed Makkah governor on May 16 following the death of Prince Abdul Majeed, recently approved a proposal to name Jeddah “the Bride of Arab Tourism.” (this is a play on the city’s long-standing nickname “the Bride of the Red Sea”.)
Turki said the festival would have 102 programs this year.
All participating sectors have completed their preparations for the annual event, which aims at providing entertainment to all groups of society. More than SR12 billion have been spent on tourism projects in Jeddah during the last few years.
Sami Idris, chairman of the festival, said the 45-day event would be distinguished with a variety of activities. He called upon businessmen and all groups of societies to extend their full support to the festival.
“Every citizen in Jeddah is a festival chairman and we expect his contribution to make the event a big success and make Jeddah a world-class tourist city,” Idris said.
Over the past several years Jeddah Summer Festival has been receiving a large crowd of tourists and holidaymakers. Jeddah has many tourist attractions, including its 100-km long developed coastline, museums, historical sites, recreational centers for families and children and large shopping centers in addition to five-star hotels with comfortable facilities and large conference halls.
Speaking about Prince Khaled’s meeting with JCCI officials, Turki said the talks focused on Jeddah’s problems and requirements. “The governor has expressed his readiness to visit the disorganized districts of the city and find solutions for them,” the Saudi Press Agency quoted the JCCI chairman as saying.
Preparations for the next Jeddah Economic Forum and measures to create more job opportunities for women were other important topics the governor discussed with chamber officials.
The prince emphasized the importance of cooperation between the public and private sectors to boost the region’s development.
Prince Khaled has urged chamber officials to set up an advanced economic information center that would be able to provide information required by the business community as well as regional and international organizations and conferences.
In a related development, the Jeddah Municipality presented its new plans and projects to the governor including the establishment of a new company owned by the municipality to solve the problems being faced disorganized districts in the city and provide low-cost housing units to the needy.
Mayor Adel Faqieh briefed the governor on the new road projects being carried out by his municipality to ensure smooth flow of traffic in different parts of city.
