Second Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defense and Aviation and Inspector-General Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz, in his capacity as Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Supreme Commission for Tourism (SCT), presided over its seventh meeting yesterday. Addressing the meeting, Prince Sultan spoke of tourism as an emerging economic sector, and called for the promotion of a tourism sector that would provide recreation for Saudi families instead of overseas travel. What is needed, he said, is tourist venues that conform to the Islamic values and cultural characteristics of the society. The meeting then reviewed plans to develop 466 sites initially, and 376 sites potentially, in seven major tourist areas in the Kingdom.

Meanwhile, the municipality of Dammam has announced that the 1.2 million square meter King Fahd Park is being offered to private businessmen and investors to develop into a major tourism center. The park, situated between Dammam and Dhahran in the Eastern Province, lends itself to the construction of shopping centers, hotels, restaurants, sports complexes, and other recreational facilities.

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