The Kingdom is to develop Al-Ahsa in the Eastern Province by promoting industrial and tourist facilities, according to Abdul Aziz Al-Ayyaf, Secretary General of Al-Ahsa Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
Al-Ahsa is the agricultural centre of the region and hosts the largest date palm plantation in the world.
Over six hundred businessmen and investors from the Kingdom and Gulf countries will on 16-17 December attend the first investment forum to discuss plans for the development of Al-Ahsa as the next industrial and tourism centre for development, which will have links with Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and Oman, Al-Ayyaf said. The forum, at which the organizers will present detailed investment projects and proposals to delegates, has been planned for several years. The investment projects will ehance the prospects of the region, Al-Ayyaf said in a press statement published today. Incentives guaranteed by the government, via the Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority (SAGIA), will be among primary focuses of the forum.
During the forum, discussions will centre on vital infrastructure to support Al-Ahsa industries and tourism projects. National and regional experts will discuss the investment climate required for future tourism, the expansion of industries, agriculture and water resources, and education and training of local manpower, Al-Ayyaf said. Among those who will address the investment forum are chairmen and heads of SAGIA, the Supreme Commission of Tourism, Ministries of Commerce and Industry, Agriculture, Water and Electricity, and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Eastern Province. Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd Bin Abdul Aziz, Governor of Eastern Province, will open the forum.
Al-Ahsa has a population of an estimated 1.5 million, with the highest birth rate in the Kingdom. It was centre for the Eastern Province Governor until 1953, when the governorate was moved to Dammam. Al-Ahsa is surrounded by Qatar, the UAE and Oman, a strategic position that could result in its being the Kingdom’s tourist highway to the Gulf. Business opportunities in Al-Ahsa have been increasing in recent years, Al-Ayyaf said.
Source: SPA
