Madain Saleh can create jobs, says a senior ulema member

JEDDAH: Sheikh Abdullah bin Munea, council member of senior Ulema, visited Madain Saleh and Al-Ula historical sites with the permanent Fatwa Committee in order to identify the borders of Madain Saleh, said Prince Sultan bin Salman, president of the Saudi Commission for Tourism & Antiquities (SCTA).
According to Al-Waten Newspaper, Salman said the sheikh sent a text encouraging him to open the historical sites for visitors, which in turn would create jobs for people.
The prince was giving a speech in the knowledge conference in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs when he was told about the sheikh’s opinion on opening the historical site.
The prince said that some ministries are worse than some countries in negotiations.
“I don’t want to spend 70 percent of my time convincing ministers and government establishments of the importance of tourism,” said the prince, according to the newspaper.
He said when appointed as SCTA president, he thought dealing with ministers would be easier than regular people, but he found it the opposite.
“People accepted tourism, but state’s establishments create obstacles,” he added.
The prince said the Saudi citizen is wronged when called ignorant, lazy and comfort-seekers.
“The picture painted about Saudis is not true, they are active even in the smallest villages,” said the prince.
The prince admitted that the Kingdom is suffering from poor services, especially on highways between cities.
“We have been trying to solve this problem for five years and we are awaiting the cabinet to regulate the matter,” he said.