Taif Mayor Mohammed Al-Makhraj said that entrance to private parks and gardens is now free of charge following the recent rephrasing of the terms and conditions of investment contracts.

Al-Makhraj explained that there was earlier a fee for using the parks owing to the stipulation in previous contracts which deemed that the funds be used for the upkeep of the municipality gardens.

“However, the new contracts ban charging any entrance fees for citizens,” he said, and called on citizens and visitors to submit any complaints or comments in this regard. He assured the public that these would be followed up by the municipality.

He said that Taif is one of the few governorates that has recorded successful investments in gardens and parks.

The Arab Tourism Organization (ATO) has named Taif as the Arab Summer Capital for 2014. The city is currently witnessing more than 90 events and activities scheduled around the year. Al-Makhraj appreciated the support of Makkah Gov. Prince Mishal bin Abdullah and the close follow up of Taif Gov. Fahad bin Muammar, the chairman of the executive committee for the Taif forum of the Arab Summer Capital.

Al-Makhraj confirmed that the municipality is continuing its efforts to expand the greenery in the city and that in recent years it has managed to increase its green spaces to more than 1 million square meters in addition to establishing many new public parks.