Floral festival blossoms in Saudi Arabia

Cairo: An annual flower festival, featuring colourful activities, is ongoing in eastern Saudi Arabia to promote the area as a tourist spot.

Organised by the Eastern Province municipality, the fourth edition of the Flower Festival being held in the Qatif governorate, aims to boost the quality of life and create an inspiring environment for locals and visitors to participate in various cultural and recreational activities, the Saudi news agency SPA reported.

The 12-day festival comprises 130 diverse corners, programmes, nurseries, a multitude of fragrant flowers, trees and shrubs.

The number of flowers on display is estimated at more than 800,000 seasonal flowers.

The event also presents daily programmes designed to suit all categories of society, notably cultural and awareness competitions as well as a lot of activities associated with preserving flowers, and information about their species and benefits.

The Eastern Province municipality stressed keenness to present such events, encouraged by fine weather in the region.

Spread over an area of 60,000 square metres, the festival is strategically located on the Al Meshari Corniche, a Qatif landmark, offering a breathtaking view and easy access to the site.

This year’s festival is marked by diversity including exciting events, and various species of flowers, with the aim of making Qatif an attractive tourist destination, local officials said.

Saudi Arabia seeks to attract 150 million tourists annually by the year 2030 including 80 million domestic tourists and 70 million foreign visitors.

The aim is to make the kingdom rank among the world’s top 10 tourist destinations.