JEDDAH: The country’s tourism industry would increasingly be run by independent bodies as part of the government’s bid to boost the sector, said Prince Sultan bin Salman, head of the Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage (SCTNH), recently.

Prince Sultan said the SCTNH has over the past 15 years created a system where autonomous structures can oversee important parts of the industry as partners in the process. “The authority designed all sectors and activities in such a way that they could be separated and operated individually, or to join other authorities,” he said.

In a press statement after attending the 7th supervisory committee meeting of the National Handicrafts Program in Riyadh on Monday, Prince Sultan said the SCTNH has always believed in new independent sectors. There would be further announcements made soon in this regard, he said.

Two years ago, the SCTNH began to hand over parts of the industry to third parties, with a deadline set for the end of 2017. He said the industry is considered as a whole including safety, transportation, tourism services, accommodation, facilities, destinations and events.

“We began to organize these sectors and launch them as self-administered units at the local level with partners.”

He said examples include the investment in the Red Sea’s beaches and tourist facilities through the Tourism Development and Investment Corporation, as well as the National Handicraft Program (Barea), which was established via ministerial decree three years ago.

Arab News reported last week that the SCTNH and the Saudi Judicial Society (SJS) signed an agreement to generate public awareness about national heritage, tourism and antiquities, which is expected to develop the industry further.

The agreement was signed by Faisal bin Mansur Al-Fadil, director general of the SCTNH’s legal affairs department, and Hamad bin Mohammad Al-Razin, the chair of the SJS.

The agreement aims to encourage an exchange of information between the two organizations on mutually related issues, including organizing joint workshops and conferences on tourism, museums, antiquities and urban heritage.