RIYADH: The Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage (SCTNH) and local tourism companies plan to launch a pilot city sightseeing project here for tourists starting on July 6.

Majed Al-Hokair, deputy chairman of the national tourism committee of the Council of Saudi Chambers and chairman of Al-Hokair Group for Tourism and Development, said the plan is to take the project to other major cities in the future.

There would be several modern buses deployed to take local and international tourists around the city, he told Arab News Wednesday at the 9th Saudi Travel and Tourism Investment Forum currently underway at the Riyadh International Convention Center.

The aim is to ensure people become familiar with the city’s streets, neighborhoods and landmarks. We hope this will help promote tourism in Riyadh and the Kingdom this summer,” he said.

Sameer Sadek, general manager of the project, told Arab News that the plan is to target around 30,000 passengers a month, or 350,000 a year. The buses would operate between 6 a.m. and 1 p.m. every day, all year round, and start off at the Faisaliyah Center, and travel along three routes through the city.

There would be designated bus stops where passengers can get in or out. The buses would be equipped with GPS and have automatic audio of city sights in Arabic, English, French, German, Turkish, Hindi and Tagalog, he said.