DUBAI,
May 6, 2006 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) – Saudi Arabia is
embarking for the first time on an ambitious tourist scheme, encouraging
people from all the world over to discover its obscure breathtaking
sites.
"We
promise you an experience that will hit your soul, mind and spirit ...
(with) lots of nightlife," Prince Sultan bin Salman, who heads the
kingdom's Supreme Commission for Tourism, told reporters in Dubai at the
opening of a tourism promotion expo, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported
Saturday, May 6.
"We
have nothing to hide, we will open up so the world can see," he
said, emphasizing that the term "nightlife" for Saudis tends
to mean wholesome family activities -- rather than what may be enjoyed
after dark in the West.
Prince
Sultan promised visas in 24 hours, which would be a far cry from the
current cumbersome process that takes weeks if not months in some cases.
Prince
Sultan said the kingdom wants to attract 1.5 million tourists a year by
2020, excluding the millions of Muslims that flock to the kingdom for
hajj, the annual pilgrimage to Makkah, and a lesser pilgrimage known as
umrah.
He
spoke of the ambitious goal of making tourism account for 18 percent of
the gross domestic product by 2020, in a country that is the world's
largest producer and exporter of oil.
The
kingdom joined the World Trade Organization (WTO) in December and has a
significant youthful population eager to embrace globalization.
But
it is not backpackers that the kingdom is after. Prince Sultan wants to
attract well-heeled and discerning tourists eager to soak up a taste of
the real Arabia.
"I
think 70 percent of tourists today are after a cultural and traditional
experience," he said.
But
despite the novelty of a Saudi vacation, the country is struggling to
root out suspected Al-Qaeda-linked terror that has since 2003 targeted
foreigners in a bloody and vicious campaign of bombings and shootings.
Obscure
Sites
 |
|
Off-road adventures
in the vast Rub Al-Khali desert is one of Saudi tourist
attractions.
|
Although
the holy cities of Makkah and Al-Madina Al-Munawarah are off
limits to non-Muslims, the prince spoke of the charms of the many
picturesque oases, valleys, mountains and even bountiful countryside.
He
touted the pleasures of snorkeling and diving off the country's western
Red Sea coast, whose beautiful coral reefs are said to rival those in
the popular Egyptian resorts of Sharm el-Sheikh and Hurghada.
There
is also tremendous potential for off-road adventures in the vast Rub
Al-Khali desert, or Empty Quarter, to the southeast and the mountainous
regions of Asir and Hijaz to the west.
And
in a well-timed announcement, authorities revealed this month that they
had unearthed a town near Al-Ula in northwestern Saudi Arabia that could
date to the 9th century and was an important stopping point for caravans
heading to Makkah.
The
area is already home to the ancient city of Madain Saleh, regarded as
the second most important for the Nabatean kingdom after Jordan's Petra.
Hand-in-hand
with the security measures "reformist" King Abdullah bin Abdel
Aziz also instigated tentative reforms, mainly political and
educational, over the past years.
This
has included the launching of a national dialogue involving various
segments of society, and the holding of unprecedented nationwide
elections to pick half the members of municipal councils in 2005.
King
Abdullah has also established the National Committee for Human Rights
and a Press Syndicate for the first time in Saudi history.
