The Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA) has come up with a set of guidelines to assist people with special needs, particularly those with hearing impairments, at tourist sites across the Kingdom.

“The SCTA has issued a circular to the different tourism sectors operating under it to include a list of telephone numbers of approved interpreters of sign language for the hearing-impaired to aid them whenever the need arises,” said the director general of licensing and quality assurance at SCTA.

He said the circular comes from Prince Sultan bin Salman’s concern for people with special needs and implementation of the recommendations particularly aimed to facilitate employees with hearing impairments in the tourism sector. Prince Sultan is the president of SCTA.

The goal is for sign language interpreters to be within reach in order to facilitate communication with the hearing impaired if the need arises, he explained.

The list of contact numbers of approved sign language interpreters will be available at all SCTA branches across the Kingdom. The official further said that the circular was sent to all tourism operators, tourist accommodation facilities, travel and tourism agencies, tour operators, timeshare facilities and operators of tourism events in the Kingdom.