RIYADH: Tourism events are growing at faster rate with the Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage (SCTNH) expanding its footprint by organizing 855 events across the Kingdom during the last four years.

According to a SCTNH spokesman, the commission represented by its provincial departments and in collaboration with its public and private partners made great efforts in organizing various types of tourism events across the Kingdom.

“Starting from 2012, SCTNH has essentially organized or sponsored 855 events during the last four years and the break up for the number of tourism events organized or sponsored year wise are 139 in 2012, 209 in 2013, 247 in 2014 and 260 in 2015,” said the spokesman on Tuesday.

The region wise break up for the period is Makkah (99), Taif (42), Baha (33), Najran (31), Riyadh (96), Northern Border (34), Eastern Province (123),

Hail (23), Al-Jouf (41), Jazan (45), Al-Qassim (173), Tabuk (43), Asir (38) and Madinah (34).

According to SCTNH these events and festivals play an important role in the creation of tourism destinations due to their ability to increase tourism demand at the tourism destinations and facilities in addition to highlighting tourism potentials across these provinces.

Such concerted efforts by various tourism sector stakeholders operating in the Kingdom paid off well as according to tourism industry experts the size of tourism event industry exceeds over SR100 million and more than 130 companies and organizations are currently engaged with the SCTNH in the event organization across the Kingdom.

These events combined with tourism festivals have significantly contributed to the revenue generation for the tourism sector as according to the SCTNH revenues accrued annually by tourism festivals and events are now estimated at SR11 billion.

Moreover, these events play important role in the enhancement of people’s national identity through introducing them to their homeland’s natural, cultural, heritage, historic and economic potentials.

Furthermore, these events play an important role in getting people of different regions to socialize by increasing contacts with the residents of other provinces and contribute handsomely to social developments through strengthening of family ties, prompting young people to spend leisure time

in useful work in safe places, learn new ways of thinking and enjoy new experiences.

Notably, tourism events and festivals also contribute in encouraging and promoting entrepreneurs to invest in tourism facilities in the province in which the festivals or events are held.

According to the SCTNH spokesman, due to growing events and tourism activities tourism accommodation sector is witnessing distinguished experiences by Saudi investors who have engaged in the establishment of hotels, inns and desert camps and exerted exceptional efforts in the planning for these investments until they attained prospective success.

The accommodation sector is now considered to be one of the promising economic sectors, especially after the approval of tourism and hospitality projects loan program, he added.