JEDDAH: A fully-fledged tourist city is being developed in the eastern coastal city of Al-Oqair at a total cost of SR50 billion.

According to Prince Sultan bin Salman, chairman of the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA), Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah has given the go-ahead to implement the project, which will change the face of Al-Ahsa region.

Prince Sultan said the first phase of the project, which aims to make Al-Oqair a world-class tourist city, will cost SR100 million. Located in Al-Ahsa, Al-Oqair receives a large number of tourists and visitors from within the Kingdom and neighboring GCC countries.

Al-Ahsa Mayor Fahd Al-Jubair said the Al-Oqair project will not only change the face of Al-Ahsa but also create more than 80,000 jobs for young Saudi men and women.

“Al-Ahsa municipality will have a 25 to 30 percent stake in the project and will be in partnership with SCTA,” he told Al-Yaum Arabic daily.

He said the project, the largest in Al-Ahsa’s history, will increase the municipality’s revenues. He also hoped that the municipality will receive annual revenue of at least SR100 million from the project. “It will have a great impact on Al-Ahsa’s economy,” he said.

A similar project is also to be developed in Jeddah’s Obhur Corniche. The Saudi Cabinet has already given approval for the project. Spread over 140,000 square meters, the site will be developed into a permanent center for festivities. It will also include a heritage village, an open stage and a site for fireworks.

Sami Nawar, head of tourism and culture at Jeddah municipality, said the site had previously been used to stage a major exhibition of mega-projects in the Makkah province. It will be similar to the King Abdul Aziz Cultural Center in Abrug Al-Righama. The only difference is that it will be located on the sea front, north of Golden Sands beach, he said.

Nawar said the municipality has already prepared preliminary designs for the multibillion-riyal project. An engineering office will be contracted to conduct a detailed study before awarding the project to a specialized company for implementation. Nawar refused to give the estimated cost of the project. He, however, said it will be huge. He said the final designs will determine the area required for the project, including parking facilities. The project is to be carried out in several phases.

The Council of Ministers has already approved plans to carry out a number of new tourism projects on the Red Sea coast. The SCTA believe the new projects will attract SR150 billion in investment. They further estimated annual tourist spending at new Red Sea tourist resorts to be valued at SR9.9 billion.

The Red Sea projects will be established in Ras Humaid, Sharma, Qayyal and Dhaffat Al-Wajh in Tabuk province, Arrayes in Yanbu, Ras Muhaisen in Makkah province, Haridha in Asir and Farasan in Jizan. The proposed resorts will have a total 557,000 rooms and create 413,000 jobs, including 165,000 direct jobs in the first five years, SCTA officials said.

By P.K. ABDUL GHAFOUR | ARAB NEWS

Published: Feb 21, 2010