Jeddah summer fest set to begin today

The Annual Jeddah Summer Festival is set to begin today at an opening ceremony at the Jeddah Equestrian Club. Makkah Gov. Prince Khaled Al-Faisal and Jeddah Gov. Prince Mishal bin Majed are expected to attend the event. The slogan for this year’s festival will be “Jeddah Ghair” (Jeddah is Different) and will include at least 150 activities including a fireworks display at 11 p.m. every Thursday evening at Al-Nawras Square and South Obhur, in addition to a circus, dolphin show, children’s programs, sports and games. The event will last 35 days and wrap up on July 12 this year, a week ahead of the official start of the holy month of Ramadan. “We expect this year’s summer festival to be among the best ever as we have introduced a number of new ideas this year,” Mohammed Al-Safah, director of festivals and tourism programs at the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JCCI). He said preparations are already underway to decorate King Abdul Aziz International Airport (KAIA) in line with the theme of the summer festival to welcome tourists from abroad and other parts of the Kingdom. “There will also be special discounts, contests and information for tourists broadcast on the city’s TV widescreens during the duration of the festival,” Al Safah told Arab News. He added he expects to hopefully receive more visitors this year than last year when the city welcomed 4.5 million tourists generating SR 6 billion during the summer festival. The Jeddah Summer Festival plays an important role in generating tourism revenue for the city. According to data from the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA), there are 192 hotels with 11,000 rooms, 670 furnished apartments with 13,561 units, 76 tourist resorts, 14 entertainment parks, 205 malls, 15 museums, 90 sports centers, 194 travel agencies, 84 car rental agencies and 480 restaurants to serve visitors.