Prince Sultan Bin Abdul Aziz, Second Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defense and Aviation and Inspector-General, yesterday opened the new Abha Palace Hotel, and went on to inaugurate the second national tourism exhibit at the new Abha Exhibition Center, patronizing the final session of the seminar on tourism being held there.   Prince Sultan conveyed to the seminar’s participants the greetings of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd Bin Abdul Aziz, and praised the recommendations they had adopted, saying they would contribute positively to the development of the region.  He also praised the role of the National Tourism Company in developing the Asir.

Earlier, Prince Sultan had inaugurated the Prince Sultan Bin Abdul Aziz Public Park in Kar’a , in addition to the Kar’a Tourist Resort which includes a mosque, 100 villas, a shopping center, restaurants, a clinic and playgrounds.

On Saturday, Prince Sultan opened a new six-mile stretch of scenic mountain road at Aqabat-Al-Summa in the Asir, and went on to inaugurate the tourist resort of Al-Sowdah, which has 60 villas, a recreational center, gardens and restaurants.  Following these inaugurations, Prince Sultan attended a symposium on tourism entitled ‘Domestic Tourism, its Horizons and Future’, held at the Abha Intercontinental Hotel in Al-Sowdah. 

Also attending the symposium was Commerce Minister Osama Faqih, who stated that the personal patronage of Prince Sultan reflects the splendid and proud image of his kind concern for every constructive work of sincere national initiative, and highlighted the noble objectives of the symposium, during which participants will spotlight the future of tourism in the Kingdom.

Minister Faqih went on to highlight the marvelous projects set up by the Kingdom, including roads now totaling over 86,000 miles, a total of 25 airports, and extensive electric power and communications networks.  This infrastructure has encouraged the establishment of hotels, now 316 in number, with 27,700 rooms and suites; and entertainment projects, now numbering more than 250.

In a related development, Minister of Labor and Social Affairs Musaid Bin Muhammad Al-Sinani yesterday affirmed the commitment of the government of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd Bin Abdul Aziz and Crown Prince Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz to full support of domestic tourism, to which they constantly accord the greatest of encouragement.

Return