Saudi Arabia’s Commission for tourism and National Heritage (SCTH) will be allocating $2.67 billion (SR9.9 bn) for expanding and rebuilding tourism projects in the country.
Six new initiatives that have been approved under the country’s National Transformation Program 2020, which is in line with the kingdom’s Vision 2030 was revealed by SCTH website. SCTH explained that it will receive 40 percent of the recently allocated government funds, and the remaining 60 percent will be distributed among its government partners.
The six new tourism initiatives include the development of touristic destinations for families in areas like Al Ula, Fursan Islands and Al Raas Al Abyad Shore. They also include the rehabilitation of 80 of the country’s archaeological sites. The new advancement plans will also have Saudi Arabia registering three of its natural heritage sites on the UNESCO’s World Heritage List.
The Saudi Vision 2030 development plan aims at increasing revenues generated from tourism to 18 percent in the next 14 years. Under the plan, Saudi is expected to host up to 1.5 million tourists by 2020.
