Qassim promotes tourism

RIYADH: Thirty-two columnists and other media representatives representing national dailies made a tour of Qassim on Monday as part of the 16th version of the Tourism Information Convoy (TIC) launched by the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities. (SCTA)
Majid Al Sheddi, director general of SCTA’s information center, said that newspaper columnists play an important role in shaping public opinion, in addition to their role in evaluating the services and facilities provided to the public.
He added that the “media is the eyes and conscience of the community” and that the visit allowed the journalists to be informed about the region’s rich cultural heritage and tourism diversity, growth in tourism services as well as increase in products.
These are, he said, are in addition to the advantages of tourism programs in the province. Similar visits had earlier been made in Jazan and Madinah.
The visit also enabled the columnists and other media representatives to “experience the fullness of integrated tourism in the region.”
The convoy, he added, enabled the journalists and other media representatives to get a closer look at the reality of national tourism , meet some of the people who work in the tourism sector and interact with tourism investors.
Al Sheddi said “this phase included a score of daily work-related programs covering Qassim in a number of its municipalities which contain important tourism sites”. Incidentally, the event coincided with Qassim’s “Date Festival.” The members of the convoy also had the opportunity to meet Qassim Gov. Prince Faisal bin Bandar bin Abdulaziz who is also the chairman of the Tourism Development Council in the province.
Al Sheddi stressed the importance of the partnership between the SCTA and the public and private sector in the tourism sector , and noted the support which the project receives from the Al Qassim governorate.
During the past few years, SCTA launched 15 tourism media convoys in which more than 450 media representatives took part. They toured Makkah, Madinah, Asir, Taif, Jeddah, Qassim, Jazan, Najran, Al Jouf, Tabuk, Eastern Province, Hail and Riyadh.