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RIYADH: The Saudi Commission of Tourism and National Heritage (SCTH) announced on Saturday that more than 200,000 visitors enjoyed 42 various tourist activities and functions in the Riyadh region in 2017, while some 40,000 students took part in 33 school trips.
Abdul Aziz Al-Hasan, director of SCTH, Riyadh region, said his office issued licenses to 975 travel offices and 1,407 accommodation facilities, including hotels and furnished apartments, this year.
Aside from tourism, Al-Hasan said the Riyadh region had also hosted six Saudi and international scientific missions in 2017.
Al-Hasan also highlighted the SCTH’s renovation and development work: 2017 saw the SCTH carry out work on the National Museum in Riyadh, the Visitors Center in Faw, the Urban Heritage Administration Center in Diriyah, the Heritage Project in Al-Ghat, King Abdul Aziz Palace in Al-Kharj, and 45 other “heritage locations” in the Riyadh region, in addition to “some historic mosques.”
The efforts of SCTH, headed by Prince Sultan bin Salman, in the development of the tourism and heritage sector and in highlighting the Kingdom’s cultural wealth are in line with Vision 2030, Al-Hasan said.
He pointed out that the National Transformation Program (NTP) 2020 has established 13 initiatives to develop the tourism and heritage sector, attract investors, and bolster in-land tourism.
SCTH is also doing its part in the drive for Saudization, intensifying its efforts through inspection campaigns in tourist establishments and travel agencies.
Al-Hasan concluded by saying that the Kingdom’s rich archaeological, tourist and heritage locations will provide new job opportunities in the future, and have a positive impact on local communities.
The Riyadh region in particular, he suggested, is an attractive destination for visitors, with major shopping malls, amusement parks and its wide variety of events.