JEDDAH, 6 June 2007 — The Supreme Commission for Tourism (SCT) will license 18 tour operators next week as part of efforts to boost domestic tourism, according to Prince Sultan ibn Salman, secretary-general of the commission.
The move augurs well for the government’s strategy to increase from six percent to 16 percent the tourism sector’s share in the gross domestic product (GDP) by 2020.
The sector, including Haj and Umrah services, currently contributes six percent to the GDP — SR55 billion ($14.6 billion) annually to state coffers. The commission has taken measures to strengthen the Kingdom’s tourism industry.
It plans to increase the total hotel capacity to 194,000 rooms by 2020. “We expect the revenue of the hospitality sector to reach SR14.29 billion by 2010 and SR21.78 billion by 2020,” Sultan said.
The licensing of operators is expected to increase the number of tourists from abroad. Many foreign tourists are interested in visiting the Kingdom’s historical and archaeological sites such as Madain Saleh, Khaibar and various old forts.
“Saudi Arabia should ease visa requirements in order to attract more foreign tourists,” says T. Vijayakumar, customer relations manager and senior airport manager of Air-India. “The Kingdom has a number of tourist attractions such as lovely malls with desirable products which are cheaper than in Dubai or Singapore. Many people would be interested in coming here for shopping,” he told Arab News. He urged Saudi authorities to open tourism offices at airports and main cities in foreign countries in order to attract tourists.
He hoped that the arrival of more tourists will encourage the public and private sectors to carry out infrastructure projects at a faster pace. “Tourists should also be provided with good transport services, budget accommodation and guides,” he said.
Vijayakumar believes that more foreign tourists in the country would change the attitude of local people toward non-Saudis and promote cultural exchange. “It would also improve Saudi Arabia’s image abroad,” he said.
Saudi Arabia is currently preparing a national plan to restore sites which have historical value. “The restoration of ancient sites related to the history of the Saudi state all over the Kingdom is currently being studied,” said Prince Sultan. “These sites will become museums where history will be documented. They will illustrate the participation of people in the unification of the Kingdom.”
The prince was speaking at the first meeting of the Consulting Committee of the Agency for Antiquities and Museums which he chaired. He said that new specialized museums would be opened in the Kingdom’s regions and historical cities as part of the government’s plans to preserve historical antiquities.
“In addition to new museums, we seek to implement a program to develop historical cities and preserve buildings with cultural value,” said Prince Sultan. He also said that the role of historical museums in preserving national history would be emphasized.
He said that as part of the long-term development plan for preserving antiquities in Saudi Arabia, old buildings in the Kingdom with historical value would be restored by the SCT.
He said that antiquities and museums in Saudi Arabia would witness “a remarkable change,” noting that the SCT is seeking to transfer the antiquity and museum sector in the Kingdom into economic revenue. He said that SCT sought to develop the sector by merging it with the activities of the SCT.
He also said that the human resources within the sector were being evaluated, in addition to scientific research and the specification and preservation of cultural sites.
The SCT deputy secretary-general, Dr. Ali Ghabban, said that members of the consulting committee also discussed the tourism body’s five-year development plan. He explained that the plan aimed at developing cultural sites, ancient sites, historical sites, and museums.
He also said the strategy aimed at merging culture and museums with the Kingdom’s cultural and development plans by encouraging citizens to participate in preserving the sites.
