The announcement came following the opening of the first forum for the owners of private museums, which was organized by the SCTA in association with the College of Tourism and Antiquities at King Saud University.
SCTA Chairman Prince Sultan opened the forum by highlighting the significance of spotlighting the Kingdom’s history and civilization. He urged owners of private museums to make use of the SCTA’s financing program.
“We give up to SR7 million in association with Saudi Credit Bank to develop architectural heritage,” he said, adding that his organization wanted to establish partnership with private museum owners.
He disclosed the SCTA’s plan to develop private museums and help them attract more visitors. “Saudi Arabia is an open museum. There are antiquities and historical sites in various parts of the country,” he said. He emphasized the importance of shifting private museums to heritage villages.
“This forum gives an opportunity for owners of private museums to meet with SCTA officials and exchange their expertise and discuss prospects of cooperation,” he said.
Prince Sultan announced the plan to organize the forum after every two years in different regions of the country. He also announced the formation of a board of trustees for the National Museum in Riyadh, which will be chaired by Riyadh Gov. Prince Salman.
Ali Al-Ghabban, vice chairman of the SCTA, presented a paper titled “Private Museums: Present situation and future prospects.”
Abdullah Al-Johani spoke about marketing private museums while Salah Al-Bakhit dwelt on investment in private museums.
