The Riyadh Festival, inaugurated by Prince Sattam Bin Abdulaziz, Deputy Emir of Riyadh, is receiving an overwhelming response from both citizens and expatriates, said Hussain Bin Mushayt, Manager, Department of Tourism at the Riyadh Chamber of Commerce and Industry (RCCI). In the first two weeks after opening on July 7, the Riyadh Festival attracted more than 600,000 people at Al-Ghornatah Shopping Mall alone. About 19 shopping malls, over 1,000 shops, as well as amusement parks and resorts are participating in the month-long festival that offers discount sales and a variety of summer activities, said Mushayt. “This summer we are expecting more than the three million visitors who attended the Riyadh Festival last year,” the RCCI official said. Apart from summer activities and discount sales, the RCCI's Tourism Department is offering free organized trips to Al-Ammar Gold Mine project located near Al-Quwaieya town, some 200 kilometers from Riyadh and Al-Safi Danone and Al-Maria Dairy farms in Al-Kharj. There was such a “great response that we could not accommodate all those who expressed an interest in visiting these sites. We are also negotiating with a number of factories and manufacturing companies, to allow the public to visit on their own and witness the Kingdom's developments,” he said. He said Yusr Al-Muntaja, a program designed for women artisans, has also been a big hit with family visitors. The women artisans have been demonstrating their handicrafts and cooking skills live to visitors at various malls, such as Riyadh Gallery, Fantasy Land and Al-Ghornatah Mall, among others. Women of different age groups have been showing visitors the traditional way of making Saudi bed and pillow covers from linen. The women are also giving live demonstrations of the preparation of traditional Saudi dishes, he said. Mushayt said the main objective of organizing the Riyadh Festival is to encourage Saudi citizens and expatriate workers to spend their summer vacations in the Kingdom. “However, it is an enormous task since Riyadh's summer temperatures are very high. This is the reason why we decided to organize summer activities at shopping malls, amusement parks and resorts which are equipped with all the required amenities,” he said. He said a number of such activities are designed for families and their children. Children of all ages are offered free art materials and are encouraged to paint and demonstrate their skills during the festival. Mushayt said Riyadh Map and other booklets that contain discount coupons and other giveaways are distributed to visitors every day. There is a toll free number which visitors can use to get information about the exact nature of summer activities offered at a particular mall, amusement park or resort, he said. The preparations for the Riyadh Festival started in January, six months before the actual start of the festival. A grand ceremony will be organized at the end of the festival to honor all of those who worked hard to make the event possible. Mushayt said that tourism authorities have been engaged in developing summer activities for all members of society - men, women, youths and children. Keeping in mind the interests of Saudi youths, such as car and motorcycle racing, he said that since the Halabata Al-Reem race track is not large enough to meet the demand of interested visitors, three centers with race tracks are currently are under construction in Riyadh.
