Makkah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI) revealed the 10-year strategic plan for its new administration in a press conference here Wednesday. Tala Merza, Chairman of the MCCI, said that the new strategic plan will provide unique services to members of the Makkah chamber, to help develop the work environment and businesses sectors in Makkah and increase the chamber's resources. He said that the chamber has benefited from recent elections as new ideas were expressed which helped bring together the thoughts and experience of the younger and older generations. However, some businessmen from Makkah who attended the conference said that the targets of the plan were too general and repeated and that they wanted to see actions instead of words. Others suggested reviewing the priorities of the plan since Makkah does not have a proper place that can host large exhibitions. “I think it is better now to focus on building a conference and exhibition hall instead of spending funds on a new administration building,” said Naser Al-Farhan, Chairman of Sharakat Al-Khair for Trading Business. Talal Merza replied that MCCI had a conference and exhibition building but it was closed due to the fire that broke out ten days after the building was opened. He also said that “exhibitions are not a major attraction here in Makkah, but we hope to develop this sector in the near future”. Al-Shareef Mansour Abu Rayaash, a realtor and a businessman, said that Makkah is the new destination for factories since Jeddah is oversupplied with them and that the door should be open to businessmen to invest in land in Makkah. “I called for investment in land for factories in Makkah long ago, but there was little response,” said Abu Rayaash. “However, now I can see some hope. Factories do not have to be inside the Haram boundaries; we have alternatives around the city so businessmen can recruit non-Muslim manpower if need be,” he added.
