More than 132,000 tourists visited the Abha Summer Festival 2010 organized by the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA) and Forsan Al-Hayat at the Abha International Exhibitions Center and Abha Palace Hotel in Asir. Over 52,800 people – nearly 40 percent of the visitors – were from the Kingdom itself while 70,000 visitors – about 53 percent – were from GCC countries, a press release issued here said. Abdul Karim Bin Salem Al-Hunainy, Undersecretary of Asir, said the fact that the festival has attracted more than 70,000 tourists from the Gulf reflects Asir's success in becoming a destination for family tourism in the region. “The 11-day festival entertained visitors with varied, multicultural entertainment and education programs tailored to the needs of the social classes in the Gulf. Programs were designed by tourism, training and entertainment experts,” he added. Yemen, Egypt and UAE have direct flights to Abha International Airport, which indicates the importance of this city on the tourism map of the Middle East region. The airport was busy during the festival and the hotel occupancy rates were high throughout the 11 days. “The festival used a well-rounded outreach campaign including electronic channels to ensure its success in attracting a wide range of tourists,” Al-Hunainy added. Dr. Ali Sharab, founder of Forsan Al-Hayat, co-organizer of the festival, added: “The debut edition of this festival was a huge success. It set an example for festivals not only in the UAE, but also in the Gulf. Edutainment is much needed at this stage and we look forward to spreading this concept in the festivals to come.” Abha has weather very similar to the weather of the Levant region countries. It is a tourism destination with many hotels, restaurants, shopping centers, clubs, parks and green areas.
