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Saudi Arabia to focus on tourism infrastructure
Promotional measures include easy visas for non-religious tourists and classification system for hotels.
- By Shakir Husain, Staff Reporter
- Published: 00:12 May 6, 2008
Dubai: Saudi Arabia said on Monday it has taken new steps such as easy visas for non-religious tourists.
The country is also building new tourism infrastructure both in large cities and remote areas.
Though Saudi Arabia receives millions of Muslims when they conduct the pilgrimage to the holy cities of Makkah and Madinah, visas for other travellers are difficult to get.
Prince Sultan Bin Salman Bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud, secretary-general of the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA), said tourists from a number of countries are increasingly taking advantage of the tourist visa, and it has been made easier for business visitors to obtain visas.
"Small groups are coming now. We are quite happy with what we see," Prince Sultan told reporters on the sidelines of the Arabian Hotel Investment Conference in Dubai. Asked about targets for attracting tourists, he said those numbers are yet to be decided.
Muslims travelling for Umrah are also allowed to travel to various places as tourists.
Government steps
Prince Sultan said the government is conducting training for security services, tour guides, airport officials and travel agents to better handle foreign tourists.
At the same time, local communities in areas likely to be visited by tourists are being educated about the potential benefits of tourism. The Saudi government has identified 60 potential tourist sites for building new facilities.
Salah Khalid Al Bukh-ayyet, deputy secretary-general of investment, said tourist visas introduced last year cover citizens of 64 countries and apply to groups of four people.
Earlier at a session, Prince Sultan said "tourism will be a positive force" of development in Saudi Arabia as there is already a strong home-grown market.
Among other developments, a classification system for hotels has been launched, starting in Makkah and Madinah. A study is being conducted to have a heritage inn chain similar to the parador system in Spain.
However, he said Saudi Arabia does not intend to promote unbridled tourism that can have an adverse impact on its society.
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