Saudi Arabia has announced plans to build the largest environmental tourism park in the Middle East, a deputy governor said earlier this week. Prince Abdul Aziz bin Saad, deputy governor of the northern province Hail, told reporters on Tuesday the project would boost desert tourism and help attract more visitors to the kingdom. The project, called Musma Park will be located 100 miles west of Hail city. Hail Governor Prince Saud bin Abdul Mohsen recently chaired a meeting to go over the measures necessary in making Musma Park possible. Officials are trying to move away from their oil-reliant economy with tourism. Tourism is becoming an important focus of the kingdoms economy. Earlier this month officials revealed that tourism generated 70 billion Saudi Riyals ($18.66 billion) last year. Adbullah Bin Sulaiman Al-Jehani, vice president for marketing and media in the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA), said this figure was accounted for 6.5 percent of the country’s GDP growth. The capital Abu Dhabi of United Arab Emirates announced it is looking to develop eco-friendly desert resorts, similar to the popular Al Maha in Dubai, as a part of the tourism plan. Abu Dhabi National Hotels is carrying out studies into setting up resorts to attract tourists from all over the world. BM
