ARAB NEWS | Published — Monday 2 January 2017
Abha has a diverse environment with forests and towering highlands.
ABHA: Abha’s status as “Capital of Arab Tourism” for 2017 will bring dozens of investment opportunities, experts have said.
The Saudi city was earlier named the tourism capital for this year by the Arab Tourism Organization.
Abha has a diverse environment, with forests in the parks Soudah, Dulghan, Al-Hubala, and towering highlands in addition to the eastern plains and western coasts.
Asir Municipality seeks to keep pace with the celebration of the coronation of the city of Abha as the Capital of Arab Tourism 2017 through offering dozens of investment opportunities inside the city to help attract investors.
Director-general of investment in the region Ali Al-Haid explained that tender specifications for those opportunities include international conferences and exhibitions areas, a shopping mall, hotel, two restaurants at two distinct tourist sites in addition to a number of other opportunities.
“The project of exhibition and conference, the airport’s mall and hotel which is located on an area of 200,000 square meters will contribute to the revitalization of tourism in the region throughout the year as well as embracing many programs, events and conferences,” he said.
Al-Haid said that these opportunities include “a shopping mall on King Abdullah Road in an area of 30,000 square meters, near the King Faisal Medical City and the hostel university, in addition to 5-star hotels and villas.”
Al-Haid said that the opportunities include the operation, maintenance and investment of the Airport Park, which has been carried out at a cost of SR33.375 million in a total area of 125,000 square meters.
http://www.arabnews.com/node/1032841/saudi-arabia
Good news.
The potential for tourism in KSA is enormous. Already in the top 15 of most visited countries in the world (mostly due to religious tourism) despite having some of the most harsh visa rules and no tourism sector of worth. Considering the sheer size of KSA, things to see and discover, opportunities for all kind of tourism etc. we should aim to reach top 5. Could be done fairly easily with the right investments and change of existing rules.
Religious, safari, desert, beach holidays in some of the most pristine waters, coasts, islands and marine life in the world, mountaineering, "wild tourism", dozens upon dozens of national parks, ancient historical sites in abundance etc. Easy access to other parts of Arabia that are equally as interesting etc.
JUST CHANGE THE DAMN VISA RULES, MAKE REAL INVESTMENTS IN THE TOURISM SECTOR AND CHANGE SOME OF THE MORONIC LAWS! STOP CONSTANTLY DRAGGING THIS ISSUE ON AND ON! MY HEAD IS GOING TO EXPLODE IF THIS WASTE OF OBVIOUS POTENTIAL WILL CONTINUE FOR MUCH LONGER! ENOUGH IS ENOUGH! WHOEVER IS PREVENTING THOSE OBVIOUS CHANGES FROM OCCURRING SHOULD STOP DOING IT!