Tourism & Hospitality | Wednesday 14 January, 2015 3:08 am |

Coinciding with the annual school vacation throughout the Kingdom, the tourism development councils and the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA) announced the launch of different tourism festivals and events in various provinces.

SCTA and other agencies have completed their preparations for these tourism fairs, that include social events, heritage, sports, amusement and cultural activities to suit all segments of society, sources said.

“The SCTA’s partnership with provincial organizations resulted in this unique quantity of festivals and events, amounting to a total of 29, that will be held across the country. Each year, we improve and advance these tourism festivals, and with each year that passes, they become more successful,” sources close to the commission.
According to plans, the Makkah Province will have three festivals — Jeddah Historic Festival, Souk Okaz Festival and Spring Festival in Taif in addition to a desert camp in Makkah.
The Madinah Province will not fall short of events either, with a flower festival, a desert festival in Yanbu and a third festival in Al-Ula, while Riyadh, the Eastern Province and the Qassim Province will also have their own fairs during the current vacation. Vacation festivals in the Northern Border Province will include a falcon jamboree in Turaif, a winter festival in Rafha and a winter tourism fair in Arar.

In partnership with its provincial subsidiaries, the SCTA will help promote tourism in these regions, and will offer marketing, technical and financial support to organize them. As part of the government’s efforts to boost the tourism sector in the country, the SCTA will arrange different media programs to visit local tourism sites across the Kingdom.
Experts in the sector estimated a turnout of more than 5 million visitors to these festivals, thanks to a significant drop in temperatures at some of the public’s favorite tourism destinations.
According to tourism expert Ibrahim Rashid, Jeddah will greatly benefit this year from better weather conditions during winter.