Prince Sultan bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, the Secretary General of the Higher Commission for Tourism, said here today that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is proceeding with its strategy of building a tourism industry on firm bases of partnership between the state and the private sector.
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the 5th Mediterranean Travel Exhibition in Cairo today, he briefed his listeners on the plan to start the industry through the state's capabilities, before transferring it to the private sector in the long run.
He added that the government is planning to furnish the infrastructure of the tourism industry within a short time before opening the business for private companies' investment. Prince Sultan bin Salman said his department is seeking coordination with relevant departments and ministries to link Umrah visa with touristic purposes to meet demands of Umrah worshippers from different parts of the world.
He also cast light on what his department call religious tourism, medical and treatment tourism, sports tourism and social tourism. He called for the promotion of Arab tourism among countries of the region.
A study on Saudi external tourism statistics is currently underway, he said, adding that unconfirmed figures say that foreign touristic trips reached eight million into which Saudi tourists poured more than SR27.5 billion, while domestic touristic trips were about 58 million flights with expenditure amounting to SR50.7. million. Domestic trips are expected to grow by 4.9 percent annually to reach about 1.5 million non-Umrah-performer tourist while Hajj and Umrah visas will collectively hit the 7 - 8 million target within the years ahead, he said. He admitted that the figures he gave might not be entirely accurate, promising that new confirmed estimates will be issued by the end of the year.
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