SCTA chief stresses more public spending on domestic tourism

April 7, 2012
Tourism

Riyadh, April 7: Prince Sultan bin Salman, president of Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA), underscored the significance of further developing tourism infrastructure facilities and services in order to prevent Saudis visiting foreign destinations during their vacation.


“The momentum of Saudis leaving for foreign countries having advanced tourist facilities and top standard of services with reasonable prices for all sections of society would continue unless there is more government support for this vital sector,” Prince Sultan said.


“It is the government that can invest in building infrastructure facilities and improving services by attracting investors to the domestic tourism sector,” he added.


Prince Sultan was speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the second session of the Travel and Tourism Investment Market 2012 (TTIM), which concluded here on Thursday evening.


About 140 companies and agencies participated in the high-profile event, organized by SCTA, at the Riyadh International Exhibition Center.


TTIM was held as part of the commission’s initiative to promote the Kingdom’s domestic tourism.


The four-day event, opened by Riyadh Gov. Prince Sattam on Monday, showcased various tourism agencies, hotels and transportation services displaying their products and services. This year’s event with the theme of “Tourism for everybody: Partnership toward a sustainable development” was part of SCTA’s initiative to promote domestic tourism in the Kingdom.


The SCTA chief noted that the private sector’s role in developing tourism sector comes only after that of the government. “The private sector has also been playing a great role in developing tourism projects, like in other economic sectors in the Kingdom,” he pointed out.


Prince Sultan said SCTA would announce the statistical figures about the number of Saudis who went abroad for vacationing during the recent second semester school vacation.


According to the prince, SCTA hopes that improving local tourist facilities and organizing various programs in addition to acquiring ability to compete with countries visited by Saudi holidaymakers would help realize enormous economic benefits and contain the outflow of wealth to foreign countries.


The SCTA chief noted that this would also be instrumental in creating more job opportunities for citizens in the tourism sector in addition to bringing forth great benefits so as to enable the citizens to spend their vacation within the Kingdom and know more about their country.


“The loss that surpasses the economic losses is the result of us missing opportunities to make the citizen stay in the Kingdom (to spend his vacation) and understand more (about the Kingdom), enjoy its beauty, know its history, and interact with fellow citizens,” Prince Sultan said.


“This would also leave sweet memories in their minds about their country rather than reliving memories of tourist spots outside the Kingdom,” he added.


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KT
April 16,2020

Dubai, Apr 16: Brand Dubai, the creative arm of the Government of Dubai Media Office (GDMO), unveiled a series of outdoor ads that form part of its new campaign to encourage the community to stay home.

Featuring the slogan 'For My Sake #StayHome for Us', the campaign depicts stunning artwork developed in collaboration with Emirati artist Maitha Demithan. The ads have been displayed on billboards, lamp posts and digital screens across Dubai.

The campaign reinforces the importance of staying at home in line with the strict restrictions on movement put in place by Dubai's Supreme Committee of Crisis and Disaster Management as part of intensified measures to combat Covid-19.

Nehal Badri, Director of Brand Dubai, said: "The outdoor campaign, displayed in prominent locations across Dubai, was designed to illustrate the importance of staying at home during the current sensitive period. Using Maitha Demithan's stunning creative artwork, we sought to send out a clear message to the community that staying at home is vital to safeguard the wellbeing of our loved ones. 

This project is one of a series of initiatives launched in collaboration with UAE-based artists to raise awareness about the need to unite efforts to protect vulnerable people from the risk of infection."

Emirati artist Maitha Demithan said: "It has been a privilege for me to work on this project and an honour to serve my country through my artworks. The three portraits featured in the campaign create a triptych that represents the people who are the most vulnerable to being infected by the virus. During such difficult times, art can play a crucial role in raising awareness on how to stay safe, but most importantly it can keep everyone inspired. I encourage all my fellow artists and the creative community to continue practicing social distancing and stay connected by using their creativity and innovation to raise awareness during this period."

Brand Dubai partnered with several media outlets, including Media 24/7, Arabian Outdoor Media and Hypermedia to launch the outdoor ads. The ads are displayed on Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai Marina.

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News Network
April 26,2020

Dubai, Apr 26: Saudi Arabia reported 1223 new cases of coronavirus, bringing the total number of infections in the country to 17522, the Ministry of Health announced on Sunday (April 26).

Meanwhile, the ministry reported 142 recoveries today, with total recoveries in the kingdom at 2357. There are 115 cases in intensive care.

The ministry also confirmed 3 deaths, bringing the total number of deaths in the kingdom to 139.

Saudi King Salman Bin Abdul Aziz has ordered the partial lifting of a curfew imposed due to the new coronavirus across the country while keeping a 24-hour lockdown in the holy city of Mecca, the Saudi news agency SPA reported Sunday. The partial lifting of the restriction started Sunday from 9am until 5pm and will continue until May 14, the agency added.

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Agencies
April 2,2020

Ankara, Apr 2: Saudi Arabia on Thursday declared a 24-hour lockdown in all parts of Makkah and Medina cities as part of measures to stem the spread of the coronavirus.

"The 24-hour curfew will be imposed in all parts of the cities of Makkah and Medina, with a ban on entry and exit from both cities," the Saudi Interior Ministry said on Twitter.

The lockdown starts from Thursday “until further notice.”

All commercial activities inside the residential neighborhoods of the two cities were also prohibited, except for pharmacies, food products stores, gas stations and banking services, the ministry said.

After first appearing in Wuhan, China last December, the virus has spread to at least 180 countries and regions, according to U.S.-based Johns Hopkins University.

Its data shows the number of confirmed cases worldwide have surpassed 962,900, with the death toll over 49,100 and more than 202,700 recoveries.

Anadolu Agency website contains only a portion of the news stories offered to subscribers in the AA News Broadcasting System (HAS), and in summarized form. Please contact us for subscription options.
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