Saudi Gazette: The SR150 billion strategic tourism development plan aims at boosting the Kingdom's growing tourism sector by making use of its Red Sea coast.
New resorts are planned in Tabuk's Ras Al-Sheikh Humaid, Shrama and Qayyal, and Dhaffat Al-Wajh, Arrayes in Yanbu, Ras Muhaisen in the Makkah region, Haridha in the Asir region, Fursan in Jizan.
The plan includes construction of multi-levels resorts, hotels, housing units aimed at injecting momentum into investment environment of these areas in particular and into the tourist development strategy in general.
As such the planned resorts will provide jobs to 413,000 mostly Saudis and the number of rooms for tourists in theses areas are estimated at 557,000, Okaz reported.
These new tourist destinations will have a positive impact on the economy, diversifying the economic base and increasing the sources of income. They will also ease unemployment in the Kingdom.
The plan aims to tackle the problems that obstruct optimum and sustained use of the Red Sea's tourism potentials, especially in economic, environmental and heritage areas.
As part of the infrastructure development plan, prepared by several governmental bodies, all highways in the region primarily the expressway that stretches from Yanbu and south of Leeth toward the north. Service centers will also dot the highways.
The suggestions also include developing King Abdul Aziz Airport in Jeddah, improving regional airports like the ones in Rabegh, Yanbu and Wajh, constructing a landing field in Farasan Islands and improving the one in Qounfodha, besides enhancing the performance of marine transportation between Jizan and Farasan Islands and developing the suggested Jeddah-Riyadh railway line.
Additionally, the strategy calls for supporting infrastructure services in Jeddah, Yanbu, Jizan and Dheba.
The strategy calls for application of UNESCO's program to preserve Red Sea domain's most important historical areas of Old Jeddah and Mada'en Saleh. It also calls for the development of "tourist roads" that connect tourist, historical, rural and urban areas on the coast's hinterland.
Developing services at abandoned historical locations like old castles and railways, and protecting them, was also suggested. These locations are set to be overhauled and restored.
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