Women and female students from Taif University gathered at Yaqatha Charity at the weekend as part of a series of activities to open the way for tourism organized by the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA). Around three dozen women discussed the potential economic opportunities of tourism in Taif and the social obstacles to tourism development, Al-Watan newspaper reported. The meeting, which followed on from a similar gathering last year, also looked at ways to provide greater opportunities for females to work in the tourist sector. Muna Al-Ameer, activity supervisor at Yaqatha Charity said the previous year had served to identify possible tourist locations in Taif. “Working in tourism opens new horizons of knowledge and culture. Tourist programs bring forth new viewpoints and raise awareness, especially of heritage,” she said. Al-Ameer spoke of relics in the Taif region such as the Al-Koo'a, Bin Abbas and Al-Hadayeq mosques, and noted that Taif boasted numerous old houses which could be turned into tourist locations. “Al-Katib house is one example. It is a three-floor building, of which the first floor could be made into a restaurant, the second into a museum for traditional dress, and the third could be used to exhibit traditional games for which the city is famous,” Al-Ameer said. Other houses, she added, had already been made tourist fixtures in the city, citing Al-Boqari, Qazzaz and Al-Kaki house. The head of the women's committee in Al-Qaiyem District, Najat Adel Al-Saiyed, said the workshop had contributed in raising awareness in society that women working in tourism does not involve mixing with males. “Shariah rules are considered, which is a framework within which women should have their voice heard everywhere,” Al-Saiyed said. Al-Saiyed urged businessmen to support tourism for those with limited income and hoped to see female-only recreation areas and parks with women staff. Haifa Al-Shammari of the geography department at Hail University who is a trainee at the SCTA said there were around 100,000 tourist sights in the Kingdom under the supervision of the commission. “The workshop aims to help the public realize the potential for tourism in Taif and how permanent tourist destinations could exploit that potential,” Al-Shammari said. “We hope to help people understand that tourism as an industry involves social, economic and cultural aspects.” Al-Shammari added that women would be more comfortable dealing with women working in the sector rather than men, according to Al
