JEDDAH: Islands in the Red Sea and Arabian Gulf offer vast potentials for tourism development, an official of the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JCCI) told Arab News on Saturday.
"There are plenty of untapped opportunities to promote tourism through the 1,300 islands in the Kingdom's waters. While 1,150 of them are in the Red Sea and 150 in the Arabian Gulf, only 405 have distinct names and been surveyed by the Saudi Geological Society," said a member of the JCCI Tourism Committee Khaled Fahd Al-Harthy.
"Local investors can request the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA) to provide them with the required information about these islands. A number of investors are interested to launch projects in the islands, which promise huge tourist potential. We hope that SCTA will provide the necessary information and set up committees to study the matter," Al-Harthy said.
He hoped that the authorities would take encouraging steps and remove any investors' doubts about the feasibility of promoting tourist activities suitable to these islands.
He said lack of clarity in the matter is making investors hesitate, as the cost of infrastructure would be huge.
He suggested that the SCTA could issue licenses to tourist agencies to operate island tourist trips besides exploring other tourism possibilities.
However, he pointed out that tourism operations in the Fursan Islands in Jazan coast is developing. Tours are conducted to this inhabited island. In May, a group of 27 Kuwaitis visited the island.
There is a ministerial committee to develop Fursan Islands and viability studies for greater investments there are under way.
The Jazan municipality also plans to invest in the Amna coral island. The 1.14 sq. kilometer island is 15 km north of the city and has a bow-shaped formation in the north-south direction. The longest part of the island is 2.4 km and the widest part 544 meters. A chain of fascinating coral formations and virgin beaches surrounds the island's eastern side.
According to sources, Makkah Gov. Prince Khaled Al-Faisal showed his interest in the development of islands when he stressed the need to exploit investment potentials in Saudi islands during his visit to Leeth and Qunfudah governorates and opened a number of beach projects.
The prince said the potential offered by these islands should be exploited in a manner that maintains the Saudi identity.
© Arab News 2011
