AL-BAHA: The Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage (SCTH) in Al-Baha has started inspection plans for the summer vacation season, focusing on supervision of tourism facilities, and ensuring the best tourist services for residents and visitors to the region.
The Kingdom’s Al-Baha region is known for its scenic beauty with wildlife areas, forests, valleys and mountains. It is a popular tourist destination in Saudi Arabia.
Zahir bin Mohamed Al-Shehri, the commission’s director general in Al-Baha and secretary-general of Al-Baha Tourism Development Council, said that preparations will include field tours to inspect tourism facilities in the region, including hotels, furnished apartments, and travel and tour agencies. The inspections will monitor the availability and quality of services provided to tourists.
The inspection drive will also include license checks, and responses to complaints and feedback from tourists and customers, he said.
Recently, the Zee Ain village, Arabic for “city of springs,” was included on a tentative list within the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization after King Salman approved its nomination in 2015. Legend has it that the springs were dug inadvertently in search of a cane belonging to well-known resident.
The tourism authority has since established a multimillion-dollar comprehensive restoration plan for the village to make it tourist friendly and shed light on its famous, locally made products.
What makes the village of Zee Ain stand out is its strategic location atop a mountain offering impressive panoramic views of the region’s farms.
The village is home to dwellings made of polished stone, some four stories high, and a famous mosque. The area, which is said to be more than 400 years old, was given its name from the permanent water source that flows into the area from nearby valleys.
The SCTH development plan, which has been underway for several years, consists of two stages. The first is restoring several structures to create an open-air museum overlooking the waterfalls, as well as revamping an existing museum.
The second is constructing a village garden and a visitors’ center, which will eventually include an exhibition of locally made products.
The development plan also includes carrying out research studies aimed at shedding light on the city’s unique architecture and the raw material with which doors and windows are made.
Al-Baha steps up efforts to boost summer tourism
Al-Baha steps up efforts to boost summer tourism
- Preparations will include field tours to inspect tourism facilities in the region.
Saudi Cabinet condemns ‘blatant’ Iranian aggression; affirms Kingdom’s right to respond to threats
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia has warned it reserves the “full right” to respond to Iranian aggression following a series of “blatant and cowardly” strikes targeting the capital and the Eastern Province.
The warning came during a late-night Cabinet session on Tuesday, chaired by Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman via videoconference, according to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA).
During the session, the Cabinet “reaffirmed Saudi Arabia’s full solidarity with the brotherly countries whose territories were subjected to blatant Iranian aggression”, signaling a united front against regional threats.
The session followed a dramatic escalation of hostilities, including a direct drone attack on the US Embassy in Riyadh.
Major General Turki al-Malki, spokesperson for the Ministry of Defense, confirmed that while air defenses intercepted multiple threats, the embassy compound sustained a “limited fire and minor material damage.”
General Al-Malki further announced that Saudi forces successfully intercepted and destroyed eight additional drones targeting the cities of Riyadh and Al-Kharj early Tuesday morning.
In a sharp rebuke of the embassy strike, the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) cited a flagrant violation of the 1949 Geneva Convention and the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.
“The repetition of this flagrant Iranian behavior... will push the region toward further escalation,” the Ministry stated, underscoring that these provocations occurred despite Riyadh’s explicit policy of not allowing its airspace or territory to be used as a launchpad for strikes against Iran.
Global condemnation and solidarity
The Cabinet expressed deep appreciation for the wave of international support as world leaders condemned Tehran’s “indiscriminate” behavior.
In a joint show of force, the US and GCC member states (Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE) along with Jordan stood united, labeling the strikes a “dangerous escalation” and reaffirming a collective right to self-defense.
Leaders from the United Kingdom, France, and India. — including Prime Minister Narendra Modi — voiced strong solidarity with the Kingdom. The UK government confirmed its forces are engaged in “defensive actions” to maintain regional stability.
Amid the heightened military tension, the Cabinet reviewed the Kingdom’s hospitality efforts for GCC citizens currently stranded at Saudi airports due to regional airspace closures. The crown prince reaffirmed that the state would mobilize all capabilities to support brotherly nations in any measures they take to restore regional peace and stability.
