American diplomats have recently been crisscrossing the country to meet Saudis, in an attempt to boost personal and business ties between the two longtime allies.

Consul General Todd Holmstrom has since his posting in the summer of 2014 been setting aside time to meet “key civil, business, academic, and cultural leaders” in Madinah, Abha, Taif, Yanbu, the King Abdullah Economic City, Jazan and Tabuk, according to a statement released by the consulate. The goal is “to understand what is happening in the country, the people, and ways we can cooperate and collaborate,” Holmstrom was quoted as saying.

“At each stop, he has been leading a delegation representing key sections at the US Consulate ... and will typically meet with administrators at the major universities, corporate leaders at major trade and business centers, and civic and municipal leaders from the offices of the governor and mayor,” the statement said.

The delegations have also been “enjoying regional cuisine, crafts, music and dance.” In the two most recent trips, in the first two weeks of April, Holmstrom met executives of companies at the Jazan Economic City (JEC) and Tabuk’s Dhuba port.

Holmstrom considers the JEC to be a “very bold and visionary development ... The region, with all its developments, needs leadership. And the custodian of the two holy mosques has shown he is such a leader,” he said.

Holmstrom and US Ambassador Joseph Westphal had many meetings with government and economic authorities to help improve business relations between local and American companies, the consulate said.

“Viewing some of the Kingdom’s multitude of educational developments that have occurred during the past decade has also been integral to the consul general’s visits. Lengthy stops at Jazan University and Tabuk University and meetings with administrators and deans have allowed the delegation to better understand the comprehensive academic offerings and infrastructural support,” the consulate stated.

Holmstrom believes that there are many opportunities for the US and Saudi Arabia to work together at the university level and more broadly in education. It is one of the core areas of the consulate’s work and a priority of Westphal, who was the president of a university before he returned to government, the consulate said.

Holmstrom believes that education has been key to the development of the country over the years, which has been much faster than many other nations, the consulate stated.

There have also been visits to some of the country’s famous tourist and historical sites including Madain Saleh and Al-Ula. A video of him speaking in Arabic was posted a few months ago on his Facebook page about his visit to Madinah, where he reflected on the “excellent and enjoyable” reception.

In another video posted on the page, he spoke about his experiences in Taif at the recent Jeddah Historic Festival, and Souq Okaz, the consulate said.