RIYADH: Local tourism demand is rising but there is still a lack of proper services which meet “the aspirations and requirements of citizens”, said Prince Sultan Bin Salman Bin Abdul Aziz, the head of the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA). He was speaking at the press conference Saturday to launch this year's summer festivals. Also present at the conference were Prince Bandar Bin Saud Bin Muhammad, Secretary General of the Saudi Wildlife Commission and member of the SCTA board of directors, Prince Abdullah Bin Saud Bin Muhammad, chairman of the Tourism Committee at the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and a number of officials from the various festivals. Poor and non-existent services, especially related to transportation and road services are the biggest challenge for domestic tourism, he said. The SCTA needs the help of other bodies to improve services, he said. He said the SCTA is working to attract domestic tourists taking into the circumstances and political events in other countries. Despite the poor services, there was an increase in the number of Saudis who prefer to spend their summer vacations in the country. Citizens now welcome domestic tourism which is largely due to the support the SCTA receives from the public and private sectors. He said the poor quality of rest houses does not make road trips appealing. This despite the fact the state has spent billions to extend and build highways and roads. He said there was still a lack of rest houses. He said the number of domestic tourist trips in the Kingdom is expected to rise this summer. The SCTA's Tourism Information and Research Centre (MAS) estimates there will be 8.8 million trips this year, which represents growth of 27.5 percent. The center also expects tourist spending this summer to amount to SR10.4 billion, a 31 percent increase from last year's SR8-billion revenue. He added the National Tourism Strategy that was updated recently expects tourism to create 2.3 million jobs by 2020. He cited the Minister of Labor's comment that tourism is one of the three main job creation industries.
