SAUDI ARABIA: Riyadh National Museum To Be Expanded, Saudi Tourism Authority

The Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage (SCTH) will start implementing the first phase of developing and expanding the National Museum of Saudi Arabia in Riyadh over the next two months .

The latest project will be among the biggest, and most modern and advanced museum projects regionally and worldwide.

The museum will be seen in a new concept and its social and cultural roles will aim toward more activity in the community.

New services will also be offered on the museum’s premises, including galleries, theaters, restaurants and training rooms, in addition to installing the latest interactive technologies.

The development project also includes establishing a four-star hotel with an essence of Saudi Arabian heritage.

SCTH Chairman, Prince Sultan bin Salman, issued a decree to form a board of trustees of the National Museum in Riyadh in a bid to prepare for the museum’s transformation into an independent institution.

A committee to review the master plans and projects of the museum will also be created.

Full supervision to ensure the museum’s development program will also be intact.

A plan will be submitted with a specific timeline for the development committee’s work, as well as attracting experts to assist the committee in developing the museum.


Tourism Observer

SAUDI ARABIA: Kingdom and Serbia to sign tourism pact

TOURISM TIES: Prince Sultan bin Salman, president of the Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage, arrived in Belgrade on Wednesday to sign a tourism deal with Serbia. He also toured various historic sites in the city and met senior government officials.

Prince Sultan bin Salman, president of the Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage (SCTNH) arrived in Belgrade Wednesday on an official visit, which will include signing a tourism pact with Serbia.

Prince Sultan was invited by the Minister of Foreign and Internal Trade and Telecommunications Rasim Ljajic. He was welcomed at Belgrade International Airport by Hani bin Abdullah Momina, Saudi Arabia’s ambassador, and the Serbian deputy prime minister of trade, tourism and communications.

On Wednesday he visited Bajrakli mosque in Belgrade and met the Mufti of Serbia Muhamed Jusufspahic and held discussion about the developments in European and Muslim countries.

He also visited the marine development project in Belgrade and met with mayor Siniša Mali for a briefing,and toured Belgrade Castle Military Museum and the Museum of Yugoslav history.

The prince is scheduled to meet with the Serbian prime minister, and a number of senior officials. He will sign the tourism pact with the Serbian deputy prime minister and minister of trade and tourism.

UAE: Gulf Tourists Spent SR22bn In Kingdom Last Year

Saudi Arabia's pavilion at Arab Tourism Exhibition in Dubai.

Last year, 6.6 million tourists from the Arabian Gulf spent SR22.8 billion in the Kingdom, according to a report from the Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage (SCTNH) released here this week.

A report by Tourism Information and Research Center (MAS), the statistical arm of SCTNH, indicated that the number of people who visited the Kingdom during the past year (2014) from GCC countries was 11.3 million visitors.

One-day visits, without an overnight stay accounted for SR4.7 million. Over 6.6 million tourists spent about SR22.8 billion — where the one-day visitor without an overnight stay is not considered a tourist by global tourism concept.

Both Kuwait and Bahrain had a large presence in terms of the number of tourist arrivals to the Kingdom by about 33 percent each, followed by Qatar and the United Arabic Emirates.

The Makkah province including Makkah, Jeddah and Taif, occupied the first position in receiving GCC tourists, followed by Madinah, Eastern Province, Riyadh and Asir.

The first half of 2015 provided a total number around 7.4 million GCC visitors to the Kingdom, an increase of 25 percent compared with the same period last year, of whom 2.1 million visitors were day visitors-without overnight stay. About 5.2 million tourists spent about 30.5 million nights and spent nearly SR11.8 billion which went into the Saudi economy.

The ministers of tourism of GCC countries endorsed in their second meeting, which was held in Doha on October 7, a plan of action to strengthen intraregional tourism, and established a group chaired by Prince Sultan bin Salman, president of SCTNH, to lay out a comprehensive joint tourism vision, for strategic goals, in addition to preparing an implementation plan to achieve the vision and strategic goals within three months.

SCTNH supports Saudi travel companies in organizing tours for GCC nationals through engaging them in specialized travel exhibitions such as Arabian Travel Market, which is held annually in Dubai, and the Travel and Tourism Exhibition in Kuwait.

SAUDI ARABIA: Tourism Licenses Now Processed Online

MORE TRANSPARENCY: SCTNH President Prince Sultan bin Salman during the launch of the new portal.

The Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage (SCTNH) has launched a portal to empower investors by allowing them to process all issues related to the licensing of travel and tourism activities online, in addition to offering other hassle-free electronic services to save them time.

SCTNH President Prince Sultan bin Salman launched the new portal on the sidelines of the quarterly meeting held at the commission headquarters recently, a spokesman of the commission said Thursday.

"The portal is designed to empower investors to finalize all licensing matters relating to travel and tourism activities electronically, which includes the activities of travel agencies, tour guides, as well as timeshare activities," the official said.
He informed the public that the new portal includes a number of services related not only to licensing, but also to renewal and classification in addition to the transfer of ownership, change of trade names, cancellations of licenses, irregularities and other related matters.

The portal allows the investor to register and submit his application for obtaining a license electronically without the need to physically go to the office of SCTNH, which will save both time and effort. In addition, it allows the investor to follow up on the progress of the application as it goes through the various steps of the licensing process with the commission.

During this time, the portal will send electronic messages and e-mails to investors regarding their involvement to ensure complete transparency.

In a related development, the SCTNH, represented by its wing the National Center for Tourism Human Resources Development (Takamul) along with the SCTNH branch in Taif, has collaborated with the United Nation's World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) to conduct a training program on tourism development and tourism destination management and marketing in Taif, which was attended by a large number of investors and officials from both the travel and hospitality sectors.

SAUDI ARABIA: Promoting Tourism In EP

A few days ago, an important and interesting convention was held in Dammam. The convention was about the role of conventions and exhibitions in developing trade and industry in the Eastern Province (EP).

The forum was held under the patronage of EP Gov. Prince Saud bin Naif and Prince Sultan bin Salman, president and chairman of the Board of the Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage (SCTNH).

Male and female members of the business community from all across the Kingdom attended the event to hear and see the many ways to promote an industry.

Holding exhibitions and conventions in the Kingdom and especially in the Eastern Province will have many benefits for the Kingdom and these benefits are not only economical, but also boost Kingdom’s global image and to educate people about the latest developments in their respective areas of interest.

The Eastern Province is one of the 13 provinces of the Kingdom and covers almost one-third of the total area of Saudi Arabia. It is as large as the US state of Texas with a population of more than four million. And most important is that the Eastern Province has a lot to offer when it comes to the tourism sector because of its beautiful beaches, historical sites and industrial complexes.

Many areas in the Eastern Province are of huge historical and archeological importance. Many of the sites date back to thousands of years. More than 3,000 years ago, the area became one of the most important parts of the world at the time when it connected many civilizations and connected the East to the West.

The area is a witness to the old ways of connecting people together when Dilmun civilization was in parallel with Mesopotamia. And the area saw many historical events such as the overtaking of the Sumerians by the Akkadians in 1792 BC. And in the modern days of Saudi Arabia, the Eastern Province played a very big role in transforming the Kingdom into a modern state due to the discovery of oil.

Places and cities like Al-Ahsa, Jubail, Qatif, and Dhahran can become huge economic and industrial tourist attractions. There are miles of green areas with beautiful palm trees in Al-Ahasa or Qatif and there are the most beautiful beaches on the Arabian Gulf Shores. And one should not forget the huge industrial plants in Ras Tanurah and Jubail. In other words, tourism in the Eastern Province if utilized can be both well time spent and very educational.

The Eastern Province is situated close to all the Gulf States. The province stretches from north to south touching Kuwait and Sultanate of Oman and it is also connected with the Kingdom of Bahrain by a modern causeway. This unique geographical location gives it an edge over many other Saudi provinces.

It is important to promote conventions and international exhibitions in the Eastern Province.
The authorities should make efforts to promote such events by streamlining visa procedures so that foreign delegates can obtain visas without difficulty. It is in the interest of the Kingdom.