Prince Sultan Bin Salman Bin Abdul Aziz, the Secretary General of the Higher Tourism Commission, met with tourism investors on Tuesday night. The meeting was part of the First Saudi Travel and Tourism Investment Forum. “The national tourism sector is currently passing through a transitional stage following the approval of the cabinet to reform its organization and domain,” said Prince Sultan Bin Salman. “Moreover, this will create a stage for investment and picking up fruits through ventures in this sector.” He added that the tourism sector is one of the biggest service sectors in the world. Prince Sultan Bin Salman called for merging the economic benefits of tourism with the deep-rooted values of the society, saying that the people of Saudi Arabia are proud of these values. He noted that the Kingdom enjoys considerable tourism components, most important of which are the Two Holy Mosques. He added that the Kingdom is an attractive power base for investors thanks to its political and economic stability. Prince Sultan said the new law links the Higher Tourism Commission directly with the Custodian of the two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz. He noted that upon the request of the Shoura Council, the commission had conducted a study on the impact of national tourism on national growth. He added that the government has issued its directives to the commission to update its national strategy within one year from the date of the issuance of the commission's regulations. The Higher Tourism Commission has been working on nine tracks in association with the Supreme Economic Council and the Council of Ministers. He hoped that a series of decisions would be issued for supporting the national tourism including the General Tourism System. __
