The development of historic Islamic sites in the Kingdom would take three years, according to Prince Sultan bin Salman, president of the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA).

In a statement issued at the second Tourist Guides Forum hosted by Al-Ahsa municipality recently, Prince Sultan said this deadline was set by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah. The Cabinet recently gave the go-ahead for the projects.

“The SCTA has been working over the past two weeks to restructure its executive bodies in accordance with the requirements of the resolution.”

He said the SCTA is working with the authorities in Madinah and Makkah to rehabilitate these sites, including where battles took place at Al-Khandaq, Uhud and Badr.

He said the tourism body was also working with the governor of Makkah to develop Jabal Al-Noor (Mountain of Light). This includes educating guides to ensure tourists are given correct information at the site.

He said the King Abdullah project includes many Islamic and pre-Islamic sites.

Prince Sultan said he participated in the forum because he has been a qualified tour guide since 2004.

He said the tourism sector has the potential to create many jobs for Saudis. The SCTA has so far licensed over 229 tourist guides in different categories.

Prince Sultan said Al-Ahsa is a “beautiful place with wonderful weather,” and has the potential to become a major tourism spot in the country, especially after the completion of the Al-Uqair and Al-Hofuf development projects.

“The Kingdom has thousands of natural and heritage sites in addition to marine, mountain and desert environments. But the most important thing is that the government believes that tourism is a job creator.”

Meanwhile, American Express (Amex) Saudi Arabia has signed an agreement with the SCTA to become the official and exclusive sponsor of the Saudi Excellence in Tourism Awards for the next three years.

The SCTA organizes the annual awards with the Saudi Voyager and Terhal magazines. It has become one of the most significant measures for quality standards in the tourism and hospitality sectors in the Kingdom.

The awards will for the first time this year have a series of regional qualifiers.

The candidates will compete for prizes in the 13 regions of the Kingdom to advance as winners to the national finals. A jury of national and international experts will assess the final winners.

Fahad Al-Gathami, chief executive officer of Amex Saudi Arabia, said he was pleased to have an opportunity to support the efforts of the SCTA in developing tourism in the Kingdom.

“The Saudi Excellence in Tourism Awards, for the fourth year, has proven to be a perfect measure for excellence in the tourism and accommodation sectors, and a means to recognize the efforts of excellent people who are devoting themselves to improving services and facilities in the Kingdom. Many of them are in fact customers of American Express in the Kingdom.”

Majed bin Ali Al-Sheddi, director general of information and public relations at the SCTA and editor in chief of the Saudi Voyager and Terhal magazines, welcomed the sponsorship because it would help develop the industry.