Tourism forum starts Sunday

The annual Travel and Tourism Investment Forum, organized by the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA), opens on Sunday under the patronage of Riyadh Gov. Prince Sattam at the Riyadh International Exhibition Center. “Tourism for everybody … Partnership towards a sustainable development” is the motto of the forum. It aims to shed light on investment opportunities in the field of tourism development and sign business partnerships between local and international companies to support the tourism infrastructure. In a special session, Prince Mohammed bin Nasser bin Abdulaziz, head of the tourism development council of the district and a number of businessmen and investors, will review the tourism elements of the area and the approved tourism projects for the next three years. Elite local and international keynote speakers and experts will discuss various tourism models and successful tourism experiences, as well as investment and tourism media cases, in 13 workshops. Other events will take place on the sidebar of the forum, aiming at bringing to light the many communities the Kingdom holds, under the title “Saudi Arabia … The crossroad between civilizations.” The forum will exhibit samples and models of historical places, handcrafts and folklore dances. The activities will include trips to Riyadh city, to the desert and Washm district and designed package trips for visitors. The forum will include a career day which will exhibit job opportunities at tourism institutes for immediate hiring. For the second consecutive year, the forum will announce the winners of the tourism excellence award on May 4 under the patronage of the chairman of the SCTA. The forum will also launch the added buyers program, which includes inviting a selected number of travel agencies working in GCC countries to visit the Kingdom, hold meetings with exhibitors and signing of the initiatives of the SCTA and private sectors.