JEDDAH: Prince Sultan bin Salman, president of the Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage (SCTH) called on the Arab countries to increase cooperation in the field of tourism.
Speaking at the 21st session of the Council of Arab Ministers of Tourism on Monday in Egypt, he said a vibrant tourism sector could play a huge role in creating employment opportunities in the Arab world.
Saudi Arabia, he said, is taking all measures to boost its tourism sector. The SCTH president said the recently launched tourist visa platform is part of the Kingdom’s plan to diversify its economy and promoting domestic and international tourism.
In a bid to end reliance on oil, the Kingdom is investing in tourism, aiming to increase spending by Saudis at home instead of on holidays abroad.
Encouraging visits to local places of beauty or interest is a key goal of Vision 2030 and the Kingdom has some world-class sites, some in remote areas, which are all but unknown outside the Kingdom.
The SCTH’s Asir office recently added records of 19 new archaeological sites to the National Antiquities Register.
SCTH official Mohammed Al-Umrah said the number of sites listed in the National Antiquities Register through their office in Bisha during this year has increased to 214.
The new sites belong to the pre-Islamic and early Islam eras and were found in three provinces including Bisha, Tathlith, and Balqarn.
The SCTH’s efforts to register heritage and archaeological sites to the Urban Heritage List fall under the Kingdom’s Cultural Heritage Care program that includes a system of projects and programs to develop, highlight and preserve national heritage sites.
Saudi Arabia’s five national treasures have already been added to the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites since 2008, including Al-Ahsa oasis, Al-Hijr archaeological site (Madain Salih), Historic Jeddah and the rock art at Hail.
The fifth site, recognized by UNESCO in 2010, is Al-Turaif Historical District, the remains of a settlement that dates back to the 15th century. Located in the northwestern outskirts of the capital, Riyadh, it is one of the Kingdom’s oldest heritage sites, though its potential was only recognized relatively recently.
Saudi Tourism chief urges Arab countries to focus on tourism
Saudi Tourism chief urges Arab countries to focus on tourism
- The new sites belong to the pre-Islamic and early Islam eras and were found in three provinces including Bisha, Tathlith, and Balqarn
Saudi Arabia has told Iran not to attack it, warns of possible retaliation, sources say
Saudi Arabia has told Tehran that while it favors a diplomatic settlement to Iran’s conflict with the United States, continued attacks on the kingdom and its energy sector could push Riyadh to respond in kind, four sources familiar with the matter told Reuters.
The message was conveyed before a speech on Saturday in which Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian apologized to neighboring Gulf states for Tehran’s actions – an apparent attempt to defuse regional anger over Iranian strikes that hit civilian targets.
Two days earlier, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan spoke to Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and set out Riyadh’s position with clarity, the sources said.
Saudi Arabia is open to any form of mediation aimed at de‑escalation and a negotiated settlement, the sources quoted the minister as saying, underlining that neither Riyadh nor other Gulf states had let the US use their airspace or territory to launch airstrikes on Iran.
But Prince Faisal was also quoted by the sources as saying that if Iranian attacks persisted against Saudi territory or energy infrastructure, Saudi Arabia would be forced to permit US forces to use their bases there for military operations. Riyadh would retaliate if attacks on the kingdom’s critical energy facilities continued, he said.
The sources said the kingdom had remained in regular contact with Tehran through its ambassador since the US and Israeli military campaign against Iran began on February 28 following the collapse of talks on Iran’s nuclear program.
The Saudi and Iranian foreign ministries did not respond to requests for comment.
Drone and missile attacks on Gulf states
The United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia have all come under heavy drone and missile fire from Iran over the past week.
Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was killed on the first day of the war. Tehran responded by hitting Israel and Gulf Arab states hosting US military installations, and Israel has attacked Lebanon’s Iran-backed Hezbollah armed group.
Araghchi said in an interview on Saturday that he remained in constant contact with his Saudi counterpart and other Saudi officials, adding that Riyadh had assured Tehran it was fully committed to not allowing its territory, waters or airspace to be used for attacks against Iran.
Pezeshkian said Iran’s temporary leadership council had approved suspending attacks on nearby countries – unless an attack on Iran came from those nations.
“I personally apologize to neighboring countries that were affected by Iran’s actions,” he said.
To what extent Pezeshkian’s remarks signal a change is unclear. There were further reports of strikes directed at Gulf states on Saturday.
Also, in a sign of possible divisions within Iran’s leadership, Khatam Al-Anbiya Central Headquarters – the unified combatant command of the Iranian armed forces – said in a statement afterwards that US and Israeli bases and interests across the region would remain targets.
The command said Iran’s armed forces respected the sovereignty and interests of neighboring states and had not taken action against them so far. But it said US and Israeli military bases and assets on land, at sea and in the air across the region would be treated as primary targets and face “powerful and heavy” strikes by Iran’s forces.
US President Donald Trump said in a social media post that Iran had “apologized and surrendered to its Middle East neighbors, and promised that it will not shoot at them anymore. This promise was only made because of the relentless US and Israeli attack.”
Two Iranian sources confirmed that a call had taken place in which Riyadh warned Tehran to halt attacks on Saudi Arabia and neighboring Gulf states. Iran, they said, reiterated its position that the strikes were not aimed at Gulf countries themselves but at US interests and military bases hosted on their territory.
One Iranian source said that Tehran had in response demanded that US bases in the region be closed and some Gulf states stop sharing intelligence with Washington that Iran believes is being used to carry out attacks against it.
Another Iranian source said some military commanders were pressing to continue the strikes, accusing the US of using bases in Gulf states and these countries’ airspace to conduct operations against Iran.
Iran had in recent years mended fences with its Gulf neighbors, including former regional archrival Saudi Arabia. The diplomatic campaign imploded in the blitz of drones and missiles launched by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards in the past week.
