SME-Written by / Manal Abu Al-Ela
The crowns of the kings of the empires of the ancient world were often studded with precious and rare jewels, expressing a soft power that controlled the slopes of mountains, seas and vast lakes, which extracted their treasures and harnessed their natural resources, in a reference to their dominance and control over a great, sprawling kingdom that enjoyed a unique and distinct demographic diversity.
Yes, it is our green civilization that laid the foundations of the lifestyle of the contemporary world, with its sciences that illuminated the ancient world.
And here we are again raising our green flag, waving the banner of monotheism under the 2030 vision that will restore the Kingdom’s glory and greatness once again.
And greatness lies in the “minds”, as our great kingdom was not satisfied with the scholarship system that enriched the lifestyle in restoring part of our strong civilization, but the Kingdom developed in developing its own strategy to advance many minds that were lucky or not lucky enough to have the opportunity to be sent abroad.
The focus was on the “message” that the Kingdom aspires to broadcast over the airwaves, to transform the Kingdom into an icon of love and peace with unparalleled attractions.
Therefore, no less than 137,000 citizens were trained to work in the tourism sector through the “Your Future in Tourism” program during 2021. The goal was to train a base of qualified human cadres to receive large numbers of tourists that may reach 100 million visitors annually, in many projects and tourist destinations such as NEOM, Al-Soudah, the Red Sea, Amaala, Diriyah Gate, Downtown Jeddah, and Qiddiya, as this initiative is the greatest in transforming the Kingdom into the first destination for recreational tourism in the world.
The Triple Vision
In order to support religious tourism, which attracts no less than 37 million pilgrims and Umrah performers annually, as well as support the local economy by promoting the private sector and providing all the elements to attract foreign investment, the Kingdom had to think outside the box, to reach smart investments in implementation of the directives of His Highness King Salman bin Abdulaziz and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, may God protect them, to free itself from dependence on oil revenues in a volatile market, and to discover the Kingdom’s tremendous tourism and entertainment assets.
The Kingdom has a distinguished geographical location of plains, plateaus, and towering mountains, valleys, charming beaches, and picturesque islands that compete with the most beautiful places in the world. It is necessary for the wise administration to encourage the Saudi investor to own shares in tourism projects, or even support distinguished projects through the Tourism Development Fund to encourage local tourism investments, which is the initiative that will turn the rudder of travel for the citizens of the Kingdom to domestic tourism destinations after providing all the entertainment and fun components.
The Saudi tourist is one of the richest tourists in the world who visits hundreds of recreational tourist destinations annually, so it is necessary to benefit from billions of dollars that will enrich many local sectors, and push the Kingdom to enter its golden age to be a global travel and tourism destination.
The Kingdom started with the picturesque “Neom” islands with their charming nature, which God has blessed with pleasant weather throughout the year, where recreational tourism enthusiasts will flock to it.
It will compete with southern European tourist cities and resorts such as Cannes and the Principality of Monaco in France and others, and will attract the elite of billionaires, in an initiative that is the first of its kind for smart recreational tourism that will revive the local economy of the Kingdom, which will return more benefit and luxury to its citizens in light of the improvement of the lifestyle.
Therefore, the Saudi Public Investment Fund has allocated 500 billion dollars to support “Neom”, which enjoys local and global investment, and embodies the meeting point of the three continents of Europe, Africa, and Asia in a geographical area of no less than 26,500 square kilometers.
The NEOM project is in line with the Red Sea Development Project, which was launched in 2017. Its aim was to develop distinguished tourist projects and resorts that enjoy charming nature and extend in the form of a great archipelago of islands consisting of 90 islands of stunning beauty, from the pristine picturesque islands that compete with the islands of Thailand and the Bahamas, not to mention the desert with soft sands that mimic the waters with their purity and beauty amidst the mountains and canyons extending between the governorates of Umluj and Al-Wajh, as well as developing the dormant volcanoes area in the Harrat Al-Rahat area, and transforming it into an area that attracts foreign tourists who love safari trips and volcanic terrain. To be continued………..
