Published on : Monday, May 7, 2018
The initiative also seeks to boost tourism infrastructure investments, mainly through private-public partnerships (PPPs). This means that the private sector will be increasingly involved in developing tourist sites to support the influx of visitors to the country’s major attractions.
Saudi Arabia, with a land area of 2.15 million square kilometres, is geographically the fifth-largest state in Asia boasting of unique communities thriving in the majestic mountain ranges in the south-western Asir region, the ancient Nabatean sites of Madain Saleh in the northwest, the historic city of Diriyah (a UNESCO world heritage centre), and the imposing tower houses and souqs of the old district of Balad in Jeddah, to name a few.
Initially, the drive would be to attract tourists from Muslim countries who visit Saudi Arabia for the annual Haj pilgrimage and Umrah. Millions of Muslims travel from around the world every year to Saudi Arabia to complete the pilgrimage in the holy city of Makkah. Last year, 2 million Muslim pilgrims from all over the world gathered in Makkah.
Tourism is a pivotal sector identified by the Saudi authorities with the most potential to create jobs and boost the economy.