People living outside the Kingdom know very little about this country. They are under the wrong impression that Saudi Arabia is a desert country heavily dependent on oil. They don't know about this country's huge tourism potential and I am not referring to only religious tourism. Recently, Mohammad Al-Amri, General Director of Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage (SCTH), Makkah region, shared an interesting story with his audience at Mohammad Al-Salem Dewania, Jeddah, which is as follows: Forty years ago, a group of Saudi students went on a school trip to Abha, the capital of Asir region. One of the fellow students, Abdullah Al-Sheikh, who worked as an Al-Jazirah daily's correspondent, asked the group to comment on the trip and the area. One of the students wrote that the region was so refreshingly green, cool and culturally rich but needed measures to promote tourism. Interestingly that student was Prince Sultan Bin Salman. The then governor of Asir region, Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, is also one of those leaders who foresaw the Kingdom's tourism potential. The country, he maintained, must diversify its resources. Tourism would provide culture exchange, investment opportunities and lots of jobs in almost every field. During his tenure as Asir governor, Prince Khaled Al-Faisal managed to change social perception of the industry and built a modern infrastructure — airport, road network, public services, national public parks, natural reserves etc to promote tourism in the region. Most importantly, he established a strong alliance between public and private sectors. The business community was encouraged to invest in hotels, resorts, malls, hospitals, etc. A major tourist company, National Company for Tourism "Syahya" was provided with full support to build brand new town, New Abha (Abha Aljadidah) and many other compounds and mega projects. In 1998, the Saudi Businessmen Conference in Abha, under the auspices of late Prince Sultan bin Abdul Aziz, called for the formation of a tourism commission to promote and support the industry and coordinate public and private partnership. Prince Sultan was surprised that this was the only recommendation the conference came up with and he pledged his full support. On 26 April, 2000, the commission was born. And guess who was appointed as its president? He was the same high school student who felt Asir was a tourism paradise waiting for tourists — Prince Sultan Bin Salman. Since then huge steps have been taken for the promotion of tourism in the country. Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage (SCTH) has not only heavily invested in the infrastructure but it also has also made great efforts to change general perceptions about tourism – from acceptable to desirable in some conservative parts of our country. Investments became more creative, smart and advanced. In Jeddah, a 5-million square meters resort — Durrat Alaroos — was built along the Red Sea. Other resorts were built in Yanbu, Jazan, Dammam, Jubail and Alkhobar. In the mountainous towns of Taif, Hada, Shafa, Baha and Abha, many resorts, hotels, entertainment parks and zoos were established. Transportation includes extensive road networks, airports and cable cars. Private and public museums and galleries became more sophisticated. The recently announced Saudi Vision 2030 – aimed at diversifying the country's economy – has given a new impetus to the tourism industry. It lays great emphasis on the role of tourism for the growth of Kingdom's economy. The Vision 2030 not only focuses on steps to boost religious tourism but it also includes plans to change the tourism sector of the Kingdom to attract more tourists from around the world. One of the steps in this regard is the introduction of new visa programs like "Explore Saudi Arabia," which mainly targeted Europeans. The project was suspended for review, but soon it will be reintroduced with wider and more comprehensive scope. Tourists from 65 countries would be offered tourism packages to visit different parts of the country. In addition to that "Umrah Plus" has also been introduced. The extended Umrah visa will allow pilgrims to stay longer, after concluding their religious duties, to visit other parts of the country. Special tour programs, approved by the Tourism Commission and other government departments, would provide people with the opportunity to discover and explore Saudi Arabia. All these programs would need a strong participation by the business community. Now is the time for the business community to make the best of all the opportunities. Dr. Khaled M. Batarfi is a Saudi writer based in Jeddah. He can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him at Twitter:@kbatarfi
