Prince Sultan Bin Salman Bin Abdul Aziz, President of the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA), has approved the exclusion of hotels and furnished apartments in Makkah and Madina from some of the new specifications and standards by the tourism body. These specifications were endorsed recently and their implementation has already begun in some regions. Prince Sultan said, however, that the exclusion does not mean relinquishing the standards of safety and service expected at Makkah and Madina hotels, stressing that the level of cleanliness and service at Makkah hotels must be in accordance with the status of the holy city. The decision to exclude Makkah and Madina hotels from the purview of the SCTA specifications was taken during a recent meeting between Prince Sultan and Talal Abdul Wahhab Mirza, Chairman of the Makkah Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The decision is based on recommendations of a committee meeting involving members from the Emir's Office, the mayoralty, Makkah Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the SCTA, the Ministry of Commerce and a number of investors, who reviewed the nature of the accommodation sector in Makkah. Meanwhile, Osama Fadl Al-Bar, Mayor of Makkah, has said a case of land dispute involving the mayoralty and a citizen has been referred to the General Court at the order of the Emir's Office. The mayoralty claims it owns the land at Al-Haj Street on which the citizen has had a house for more than 12 years. Both parties claim to have deeds proving that they own the land. The man says the mayoralty rented the land out to an investor to build an industrial city. “I am not an encroacher as the mayoralty is alleging,” Khaled Al-Sulami said. “In 1997 I obtained the deed for my land and went to the mayoralty and requested a construction permit to complete the house. I started building and applied to have electricity connected, but the mayoralty refused and said it owned the land according to a legal deed.” – Okaz/SG (Muhammad Al
