Festivals highlight Kingdom’s tourism potential: Al-Asheikh

ABHA — Tourism festivals in Abha and other parts of the Kingdom play a significant role in boosting domestic tourism and highlighting the country’s tourism potential, said Hamad Al-Sheikh, vice president of the Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage (SCTNH). “We have to organize these festivals in the best form and meet the requirements of visitors and other targeted groups,” he said while attending an event at the ongoing Abha Annual Festival. Prince Sultan Bin Salman, president of SCTNH, approves the strategy for tourism festivals across the Kingdom. “Prince Sultan sends this strategy to the organizers and instructs them to make advance preparations to make the festivals successful,” he added. “Saudi Arabia holds about 300 tourism festivals annually. About 70 of them are organized by the commission,” Al-Sheikh said, adding that the Kingdom is one of the countries that hold the largest number of tourism festivals in the Middle East. He said the tourism festivals witness partnership of various agencies and interest groups to make them successful. “The Abha tourism festival has been winning the Award of Excellence for the past several years as a result of its excellent organization,” he added. Al-Sheikh urged festival organizers to adopt all factors of success to make such events more appealing to visitors and tourists. “We have to have an excellent vision, a good executive plan and select the best location to hold tourism festivals.” He said the festivals should have innovative and creative programs. “Organizers should give priority to security and safety of visitors and market them properly. They should also take the opinion of visitors on various programs to improve upcoming events,” he explained. Al-Sheikh commended the creative thoughts and ideas being displayed at Muftaha exhibition. “This will contribute to strengthening the tourism industry,” he added. He noted the efforts of municipalities, education departments and businessmen in organizing tourism festivals. “SCTNH has been instrumental in promoting a culture of tourism festival in the Kingdom,” said Al-Sheikh, who is in charge of marketing and programs at the commission. “We provide marketing and technical support to tourism festivals,” the vice president said. Al-Sheikh said a UN expert has commended the success of tourism festivals in the Kingdom as they adopt successful national and international experiments. “We promote partnership of different agencies to make the festivals a big success,” he added.