Prince Sultan bin Salman, chairman of the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA), stressed the potential of the Wadi Dawassir sub-governorate as a tourist destination after visiting archeological and heritage locations there on Thursday.
The prince’s visits included the Historical Emirate Palace, which the SCTA is currently renovating as part of a project to refurbish state palaces of King Abdul Aziz’s era.
The prince was briefed on various stages of palace development. The prince also visited the Salman Al-Hadla Museum and met with the governor of Wadi Dawassir, Ahmed Al-Muneefi. There they held a meeting with the local administrative council and the tourism promotion council for the region.
The prince toured around various tourism projects accompanied by the secretary-general of the regional council Suleiman Al-Qannas and Al-Muneefi.
He was also briefed on various projects for tourism development in the region, the Saudi Press Agency reported yesterday.
The prince attended a function of prize distribution to honor the winners of scientific excellence in the sub-governorate. Abdullah Al-Mutlaq, adviser at the Royal Court, also attended the function.
The prince said he was asked to attend the meeting of the tourism promotion council by Riyadh Gov. Prince Sattam, who is also chairman of the Tourism Development Council in the Riyadh Province and Deputy Gov. Prince Muhammad bin Saad.
“We are all partners in serving the nation and supporting the economy of the governorate and promoting tourism which strengthens both the local and regional economies,” he said.
The prince added that domestic tourism and national heritage are major economic activities supported by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah and Crown Prince Salman, deputy premier and minister of defense. The Wadi Dawassir contains many tourist and heritage sites that have the potential to make it an outstanding tourist destination, he added.
Stressing the importance of the Arabian Peninsula as an archeological center, the prince said “today we cannot leave any part of the Arabian Peninsula without uncovering its cultural heritage and thus prove to the world that the land where Islam was revealed was not a barren region dry of civilization. Islam was revealed to a highly scholarly and civilized people of the Quraish in Makkah.”
The prince added that tourism has now become a concept acceptable to all sections of the people in the Kingdom.
He said the SCTA is currently focusing its attention on repairing heritage buildings and preserving them, opening up heritage villages and palaces and historical locations to citizens.
The prince’s visit is part of his tours to various governorates to learn the needs of the tourism and heritage sector from an insider perspective.
