Leaders unveil vision for regional tourism

Dubai: Regional leaders yesterday unveiled a regional tourism vision at the Arabian Hotel Investment Conference that is expected to unlock the hidden opportunities in tourism.

Prince Sultan Bin Salman Al Saud, secretary general of the Supreme Commission for Tourism in Saudi Arabia, unveiled a series of initiatives that aim to spur domestic travel in particular, announcing a new regional structure of tourism boards and a joint national marketing campaign as well as the launch of the first tourism and investment conference in the country next March.

He said the focus would remain on family tourism, with the aim to change the mindset of national travellers that they had to leave their own country for holidays.

"Tourism can be fun, energetic and adventurous," he said, referring to his own eight-day exploration of Saudi Arabia piloting a glider aircraft for a television programme that will be aired on the Discovery Channel.

"We are keen on the environment, social sustainability and want to introduce new hotel products to enable domestic tourists to explore opportunities in the countryside.

"We are applying for Unesco World Heritage status for three sites, including old Jeddah and the southern Nab-ataean sites," he added.

For Abu Dhabi, chairman of the tourism authority ADTA, Shaikh Sultan Bin Tahnoun Al Nahyan said that the emirate was now ready to move from the drawing board to realise its vision for tourism development at a controlled pace.

Promotion

"We are trying to differentiate our tourism product through promoting a cultural offering, focusing on the cultural district of Sa'adiyat Island," he said.

"There is a cultural gap between this region and other parts of the world, and we hope to bridge that with this development."

Shaikh Sultan also highlighted the Desert Islands project, focused on eight islands around the Bani Yas nature reserve, initiated by the late Shaikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan.

Plans: Initiatives announced to promote Saudi Arabia

Tourism initiatives announced by Prince Sultan Bin Salman Al Saud included the the construction of the first two of five new tourism destinations on the Red Sea, a string of new museums and a programme to encourage visitors, a new grading system for hotels that will be implemented next year, renovation of heritage villages; a programme to foster handicraft skills, the licensing of between 10 and 15 tour operators this month, and the renovation of historic sites in four Red Sea ports, as well as Riyadh.