Riyadh fest: For fun, family time

Residents and visitors to Riyadh have been enjoying the Riyadh Festival for Shopping and Entertainment 2012 that started early last month.
Riyadh Gov. Prince Sattam also inaugurated Saudi Summer 2012, a nationwide domestic tourism program organized by the Saudi Commission For Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA) in cooperation with Tourism Development Councils in various regions in the Kingdom.
Since the launch of the program the capital has been witnessing visitors from all parts of the Kingdom as well as local residents. The Riyadh Festival for Shopping and Entertainment is organized by the Riyadh Chamber of Commerce and Industry in cooperation with the private sector.
As part of the program Riyadh National Park, located in the Almurabha district on King Faisal Street adjacent to the King Abdulaziz Historical Center, is the popular destination in town for holidaymakers in the city.
The park occupies an area of 27,000 square meters and has the Riyadh Water Tower at its heart. The tower is one of the landmarks of the capital and visitors can climb to the top to view the city.
The park includes a scale model of the map of Saudi Arabia covering an area of 6,000 sq. meters.
It also provides more than 15 interesting games for all the family.
The park has a theater built with Roman style architecture to host a variety of entertainment events throughout the year. It also has a plaza at the main entrance with canals and fountains surrounding the base of the tower. The plaza is dotted with shops and a food court that contains a spacious indoor hall. The theater, which accommodates 4,000, is usually full during show times.
The Othaim Mall in Rabwa and Khurais continues to host an exhibition showcasing the work of productive families as part of the Riyadh Festival for Shopping and Entertainment.
The exhibition’s products include handicrafts, pottery and ceramics. At least 30 families are participating.
The exhibition, sponsored by the National Manufacturing Company, promotes the family’s role in society and the importance of empowering Saudi women in various fields and helping them utilize their skills. An Othaim Mall spokesman said: “The exhibition is a real opportunity for participating families to take advantage of the space granted to promote and market their products and make money.” Althunaian bin Abdullah bin Thunayan, general manager of Your Candies, said he is proud to be a strategic partner in the festival, adding such participation is part of the company’s social responsibility programs.
“Our participation in the festival confirms the strong relationship between the company and the national festival and its activities.” The festival is a wonderful opportunity for families to enjoy shopping at affordable prices, he added.
Pharmaceutical company Ronagrow and its partner, the “Be My Friend” project, participated in a number of other activities such as fine arts, glassware paintings, stone carvings, drawing on T-shirts, sketches and special activities for children.
Mohammed Amri, marketing director at Ronagrow, highlighted the huge popularity of the festival, especially with visitors from neighboring countries.
He stressed the arrival of visitors from other countries is evidence of the festival’s success and its reputation in many countries. He said the festival organizers strive to offer meaningful activities for families and children in an attempt to develop talented children since they are consider an important part of society.
He described the festival as an opportunity for private companies and institutions to improve their social programs.
Feda Khalidi, general director of Be My Friend, said the festival offers each year new and creative ideas and insights to attract a large number of visitors, noting the project aims to deliver social messages.
It also aims to instill faith and confidence in people with special needs and make them active members of society.
She concluded the role of the festival is not only confined to retail and entertainment but also sectors dealing with social activities. She added: “We hope all companies, institutions and associations communicate with society and highlight their social obligations. “We highly value the role played by the Riyadh Chamber of Commerce and Industry, participants and supporters.” Latest forecasts indicate a rise in the volume of domestic tourist trips this summer, while the Tourism Information and Research Center expects a growth of domestic tourism by 5 percent during the summer compared to last year.
According to SCTA, the number of visitors to festivals is expected to increase to 8.8 million visitors from 8 million in 2011 and tourist spending this summer will rise to SR 7.4 billion compared to SR 6.5 billion last year, a 14 percent increase.