Prince Sultan bin Salman, president of the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA), said on Tuesday that there were 33 million domestic flights for local tourists in 2012, providing 1.126 million direct and indirect jobs in this sector.
Prince Sultan was speaking at the high-profile World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and the World Travel Market (WTM) summit in London in which delegates from 149 countries, including Saudi Arabia, participated.
Prince Sultan also attended the 5th G-20 Tourism Ministerial Meeting held in London.
During a panel discussion entitled “How to bridge the gap between tourism and aviation” held at the ExCel Exhibitions Center in London, Prince Sultan told participants that the Kingdom had seen a dramatic increase in domestic tourism.
Citing statistics made available through the SCTA, he said there were 18.6 million tourist departures and 14.3 million arrival flights, including 7.2 Haj and Umrah trips.
Together, he said, they make Saudi Arabia an attractive destination for a large number of international carriers.
He said this had resulted in providing 1.126 million jobs in the tourism sector, including 751,000 direct jobs with the presence of Saudis going up from 10 percent in 2000 to 27 percent in 2013.
There are around 219,000 employees in the aviation sector, besides 139,000 jobs associated with aviation activities created indirectly in the tourism sector.
Prince Sultan also dwelt on the growing economic importance of the Kingdom and its position as an important hub in the global economy.
A hub of religious and cultural importance, Saudi Arabia had advanced facilities in terms of economic development, infrastructure and human development, he said.
He said Saudi Arabia’s tourism market had witnessed remarkable growth in terms of local tourists. The Kingdom is focused on developing the tourism sector, he said, as it plays an important role in stimulating the national economy and creating job opportunities for citizens.
Prince Sultan revealed that the STCA has worked to develop and implement a national plan for the development of tourism in the Kingdom and increase competition. The STCA has created tourist sites for investment, he said.
He pointed out that the General Authority for Civil Aviation (GACA) in the Kingdom had increased the number of flights by providing licensing to new airlines, in addition to opening regional airports for domestic and international flights.
He said the Kingdom was currently working on increasing the capacity of airports to accommodate growing demand in this sector.
Saudi domestic tourism flights touch 33 million
Saudi domestic tourism flights touch 33 million
Riyadh hosts forum on Arabic language computing
- The event drew participants from local, regional, and international institutions, along with researchers from 22 countries
- he conference aims to foster collaboration between computational experts and linguists
RIYADH: The King Salman Global Academy for Arabic Language launched its third international conference on Sunday in Riyadh, called “Arabic Language Computing and Linguistic Data Enrichment.”
The event drew participants from local, regional, and international institutions, along with researchers from 22 countries, who focused on computational linguistics, computer science, and the Arabic language.
The conference aims to foster collaboration between computational experts and linguists, bridging knowledge gaps and showcasing key projects in Arabic language computing.
It seeks to enrich Arabic language datasets to enhance artificial intelligence models and support Arabic language processing.
Abdullah Al-Washmi, the academy’s secretary-general, spoke of the need to improve academic practices in the Arab world and provide a platform for discussing challenges and opportunities in linguistic data quality and accessibility.
Topics include machine learning, speech-to-text conversion, and automated text recognition, as well as the use of computational linguistics in Arabic language learning, digital dictionary techniques, and linguistic corpus analysis.
Dr. Abdulaziz Al-Mahyobi, an associate professor of computational linguistics at Imam Mohammad ibn Saud Islamic University, said that research would result in more objective and precise language analysis results.
He noted that automation eliminated subjective guesswork, leading to reliable and verified outcomes.
Al-Mahyobi added that automating language processing could revolutionize machine translation, error detection, speech recognition, and text compression and indexing.
He said that Arabic’s structured morphological, syntactical, and lexical systems made it particularly suited for advanced digital processing.
Saudi woman transforms Arabic learning for children with interactive calligraphy game
- Lujain Abulfaraj established “Akwan” (universes in Arabic) to enrich language learning for children a
RIYADH: Driven by her passion for the Arabic language, Saudi woman Lujain Abulfaraj has embarked on a mission to make it more engaging for children. After noticing her son’s disinterest in Arabic, she sought a solution.
In 2015, Abulfaraj enrolled in a design program dedicated to exploring the beauty of Arabic calligraphy and its potential as an educational tool, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Sunday.
Realizing its ability to be both entertaining and instructive, she created a game featuring large Arabic letters that could be arranged into words for play.
This led her to establish a venture aimed at enriching language learning for children. In 2020, she introduced “Akwan” (universes in Arabic), a set of magnetic bricks inspired by Arabic calligraphy, designed to make learning interactive and enjoyable for children.
At the Riyadh International Book Fair, Abulfaraj highlighted the boundless creative possibilities “Akwan” offers children, SPA reported.
She praised the Ministry of Culture for its efforts in revitalizing Saudi culture, particularly the language, and for supporting young talent in the country.
In recognition of her dedication, the Ministry of Culture nominated Abulfaraj for the 2023 Cultural Awards in architecture and design, where she became one of the top three finalists in the Kingdom.
Her work also earned the “Designed in Saudi” seal.
Deal signed to promote falconry on Hawi platform
- The deal was signed on the sidelines of the International Saudi Falcons and Hunting Exhibition
- The agreement will help enthusiasts form falconry clubs and produce supplies via the Hawi platform
RIYADH: Saudi Falcons Club’s CEO Talal Al-Shamaisi, and Khalid Al-Baker, the Quality of Life Program’s CEO, have signed a memorandum of cooperation to support falconry and establish amateur clubs through Hawi, the national hobbies portal.
The deal was signed on the sidelines of the International Saudi Falcons and Hunting Exhibition, which is being held in Malham, Riyadh, until Oct. 12, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Sunday.
The agreement will help enthusiasts form falconry clubs and produce supplies via the Hawi platform. It will also facilitate knowledge exchange and collaboration to promote falconry and enhance the community’s cultural and recreational life.
Hawi, an initiative of the Quality of Life Program, aims to stimulate the hobbies sector by creating clubs while providing a supportive environment.
The memorandum supports the club’s goals to increase the number of falconry practitioners, preserve cultural heritage, promote environmental awareness, and position Saudi Arabia as a global hub for falconry.
Separately, the Saudi Falcons Club and King Khalid University have signed a memorandum of cooperation to implement awareness initiatives and rehabilitation programs related to falcons and falconry.
The agreement also includes research and training programs in falconry. It aims to attract investors, share data and studies, and collaborate on events, exhibitions, and conferences.
Saudi project clears 1,579 Houthi mines in Yemen
- A total of 465,252 mines had been cleared since Masam's inception in 2018
RIYADH: Members of Saudi Arabia’s Project Masam removed 1,579 explosive devices from various regions of Yemen last week.
The total included five anti-personnel mines, 126 anti-tank mines, 1,442 unexploded ordnances and six explosive devices, according to a recent report.
Ousama Al-Gosaibi, the initiative’s managing director, said a total of 465,252 mines had been cleared since its inception in 2018.
The explosives were planted indiscriminately and posed a threat to civilians, including children, women and the elderly.
Project Masam is one of several initiatives undertaken by Saudi Arabia on the orders of King Salman to help the Yemeni people, clearing routes for humanitarian aid to reach the country’s citizens.
The demining operations took place in Marib, Aden, Jouf, Shabwa, Taiz, Hodeidah, Lahij, Sanaa, Al-Bayda, Al-Dhale and Saada.
The initiative trains local demining engineers and provides them with modern equipment. It also offers support to Yemenis injured by the devices.
Teams are tasked with clearing villages, roads and schools to facilitate safe movement for civilians and the delivery of humanitarian aid.
About 5 million people have been forced to flee their homes since the start of the conflict in Yemen, many of them displaced by the presence of land mines.
Moon-Venus conjunction visible in northern Saudi Arabia
- Celestial show after sunset over the Northern Border region was visible to the naked eye
RAFHA: A spectacular celestial event occurred over Saudi Arabia’s northern skies on Saturday night, with the moon and Venus in conjunction, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Sunday.
Known as a conjunction, the phenomenon in the sky after sunset in the Northern Border region was visible to the naked eye, with the moon and the planet separated by just three degrees.
A conjunction occurs when two celestial objects appear close to each other in the sky and share the same celestial longitude, according to astronomer Berjis Al-Fulaih.
Al-Fulaih, an official with the AFAQ Society for Astronomy in Taif, noted that Venus is often referred to as the “Evening Star” or the “Morning Star,” depending on its position in the west or east.
The alignment marks the beginning of the moon’s monthly journey past the bright planets.
In an interview with SPA before the celestial event, Jeddah Astronomy Society chief Majed Abu Zahra said the appearance of the crescent moon and Venus together shortly after sunset, before the sky darkened fully, created the spectacular view.
“As the second and third brightest objects in the night sky, after the sun, they will present a striking view,” he said.
A faint glow, caused by sunlight reflecting off Earth (known as Earthshine), will softly illuminate the unlit part of the moon’s disk, he explained.
Abu Zahra said there will be another astronomical event in mid-October: the arrival of Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS, which will appear 20 to 25 degrees northwest of Venus on Oct. 13 and 14. The comet may even be visible to the naked eye, although comets are notoriously unpredictable.
By Oct. 25, Venus will appear three degrees north of the star Antares. Toward the end of the month, Venus will draw closer to Earth, with its disk measuring 14 arcseconds and being 77 percent illuminated, Abu Zahra told SPA.
