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Yes,
We’re Ready to Welcome Tourists
Sultan bin Salman, Arab News
I
happened to read an article titled “Are
We Ready Yet to Welcome Tourists?”
in the Arab News (May 29). In the article the author Amr Al-Faisal
mentions some of the obstacles and difficulties facing our efforts
to promote tourism. While thanking him for showing interest in the
subject, we would like to clarify some points.
First,
although we agree with the writer on the presence of some negative
practices confronting tourists at some places and events this does
not mean our culture encourages people to look at a foreign visitor
with suspicion and doubts as he seems to suggest. Further, these are
problems tourists face in any other country or society. As far as
Saudi Arabia is concerned, I believe that the opposite is true. By
nature, Saudis are a hospitable people. Extending generous
hospitality and warm welcome to visitors has been part and parcel of
our social mores since time immemorial.
 Interaction
with visitors is not something new or strange to the people of this
country, which has been receiving Haj and Umrah pilgrims from
different parts of the world for more than 1,400 years. Our
preoccupation with development activities other than tourism as well
as some of the things marketed as or going on in the name of tourism
in other countries may have created a negative impression about
tourism in Saudi Arabia, and may have affected the way the Saudis
deal with tourists.
Second,
the general strategy for national tourism development has given
utmost importance to the social aspect of tourism. It has taken into
consideration the social and cultural aspects that affect tourism
development and contains proposals to involve local societies in
tourism activities.
In
order to achieve this objective, the Supreme
Commission for Tourism
(SCT) has been organizing “Tourism and Society” programs. This
is to promote a positive approach toward tourism and tourists among
the general public. A number of awareness campaigns will be held as
part of this program to create a friendly social atmosphere for
tourism.
 The
program titled “Tourist and the Host,” organized by the
commission in cooperation with the Education Ministry, aims at
training teachers to promote tourism awareness among students
through activities in summer and other seasons.
We
have plans to organize tourism trips for students to places within
their region in order to create tourism awareness among them and
enhance their knowledge of tourist attractions in their own cities
and villages. This program, introduced this year, intends to target
about 2.5 million students. The government considers it as a good
investment for the future of national tourism.
The
commission has been holding special courses named “Yahala” to
train people who will be in direct contact with tourists including
employees of the departments of tourism, customs, passports and
police as well as bus and taxi drivers to educate them to deal with
tourists in a friendly and professional manner. More than 700 Saudis
have attended these courses, which were held in 10 cities this year.
The
recently launched tourism media strategy, which was approved by
SCT’s board of directors, aims at enhancing awareness among Saudis
of the economic importance of the tourism industry and its positive
impact on society. This will enable them to interact positively in
their role as a tourist or host or investor or service provider.
 And
then there is the program named “Leave No Trace” to promote
environment culture and reduce negative effects on environment as a
result of the behavior of some tourists. This is being implemented
in cooperation with government agencies and the private sector. This
program was launched successfully in Hail last summer and in
Riyadh’s Thumama region a few weeks ago.
The
commission also intends to hold more awareness campaigns in various
parts of the country, targeting more than 15 governmental, social
and other organizations. There are also plans to hold more than 80
activities in 45 principalities with a view to strengthening tourism
awareness in local societies.
Third,
with respect to the author’s proposal that the SCT should itself
establish tourism projects and encourage the private sector to enter
the field only when they are found commercially viable, I would like
to point out that all over the world the trend now is that
governments keep themselves away from investment projects, leaving
them to the private sector. Saudi Arabia is only following the
global trend in this respect. So, the commission does not intend to
establish tourism projects; at the same it would not force anyone to
invest in such projects. SCT’s mission is to create an atmosphere
that would encourage private tourism investment. It also works to
enable the private sector to assume the role of a main and effective
partner in tourism development by contributing to the establishment
of basic infrastructure, providing information and setting out laws
and regulations to ensure quality and protect investors and
consumers.
We
agree that there are certain factors restricting tourism investment;
the SCT is now trying to tackle them.
 Fourth,
the plethora of tourist sites in the Kingdom as well as the
government’s drive to reduce dependence on oil revenue have made
tourism a strategic option which cannot be ignored. It is one of the
fast growing industries, one of the major contributors to the gross
domestic product and the world’s largest employer. It has benefits
the other industries lack. It achieves balanced regional development
by attracting capital to cities, regions and centers. Tourism will
play a major role in highlighting our social values and heritage and
culture. It also contributes to the protection of natural resources
and facilitates their better utilization. This is crucial for the
continuation of tourism-generated economic activity.
The
ideas presented by the author in his Arab News article are of
enormous importance and we want to assure him that the SCT has been
pursuing such objectives since its inception. But let me request the
author to be optimistic and see the positive side of tourism in the
Kingdom. As everyone knows, it needs time and concerted efforts to
bring about required changes in a complex industry like tourism.
We
would also like to point out that SCT’s plans to develop national
tourism run parallel to efforts to win social acceptance of tourism
as an important part of national economy. No doubt building up this
promising economic sector is a big challenge.
SCT
is fully aware of the importance of creating a suitable social
atmosphere in order to promote the industry and make it a major
contributor to the national economy. Our government and people have
successfully overcome many major developmental challenges before and
achieved wonderful results. Believe me, the Kingdom’s efforts will
be crowned with success in this new field too.
—
Sultan bin Salman bin Abdul Aziz is secretary-general of the Supreme
Commission for Tourism.
Reprinted
with permission of Arab News
About Prince Sultan
bin Salman
 In
addition to currently serving as the Secretary General of the Supreme
Commission for Tourism, Prince Salman is also well known for having
flown aboard the US Space Shuttle Discovery in 1985. Check the NASA
biography below for more information.
NASA
Biography (as of 1993)
PERSONAL
DATA:
Born June 27, 1956, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Married. Recreational
interests include snow skiing, scuba diving, horseback riding,
jogging, racquetball, and swimming.
EDUCATION:
Completed his elementary and secondary education in Riyadh, Saudi
Arabia. He later went on to study communications and aviation in the
United States.
EXPERIENCE:
In 1982 he was appointed to the position of researcher in the
Department of International Communications at the Ministry of
Information in Saudi Arabia.
In 1984 he served as Deputy Director for the Saudi Arabian Olympic
Information Committee at the Olympics in Los Angeles, California.
Later that year, when the Department of Advertising was created at
the Ministry of Information, he was appointed its Acting Director.
In 1985 he flew as a Payload Specialist on STS-51G Discovery
(June 17-24, 1985). As one of a seven member international crew,
which also included American and French astronauts, he represented
the Arab Satellite Communications Organization (ARABSAT) in
deploying their satellite, ARABSAT-1B.
Upon conclusion of his space flight, he helped in founding the
Association of Space Explorers, an international organization
comprising all astronauts and cosmonauts who have been in space, and
served on its Board of Directors for several years.
In 1985 he was commissioned as an officer into the Royal Saudi Air
Force. He holds the rank of Lieutenant Colonel, and is qualified in
several military and civilian aircraft.
For several years he headed the Advisory Committee for the Science
Oasis Project to be built in Riyadh.
In 1989 and then again in 1992 he was elected to the position of
Chairman of the Saudi Benevolent Association for Handicapped
Children; where he also served as the Chairman of the Board of
Trustees for the Prince Salman Center for Handicapped Research.
In 1991 he accepted an invitation from the Board of Directors of the
Saudi Computer Society to become Honorary Chairman, and in 1993 due
to his special interest in architecture he agreed to serve as
Honorary President of the Al-Umran Saudi Association (a society of
specialists in the fields of the built environment).
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