The media should give a true and objective picture of Saudi Arabia, based on its rich cultural heritage, said Prince Sultan bin Salman, president of the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA).
Inaugurating the “Saudi Colors Forum,” at the Riyadh International Center for Exhibitions and Conferences yesterday, Prince Sultan said, “We take a lot of pictures and share them via social media with our friends and relatives, but we don’t show as much appreciation when it comes to presenting our own heritage.”
“We are living at a time of phenomenal growth in our dear country, which has a wealth of tourist attractions,” said the prince.
He said SCTA is investing in the new era of technology by using social media to publicize Saudi heritage and attractions.
The prince wondered, “Why don’t we explore and discover our own tourist spots, which are no less attractive than other tourist spots in the world.”
He said Allah had bestowed many attractions on this country in terms of people, heritage, culture and diversity.
“We organized this forum as part of various activities that would compete in the near future in developing our tourism to attract citizens as they are lured by other tourist spots in the world,” he said.
More than 1,000 photographers in the Kingdom submitted 3,380 photographs focused on four themes: nature, urban heritage, Saudi faces and national development for a competition at the Saudi Color Forum.
The Prince Sultan Award went to Saudi pioneers photographers, Eisa Saleh Al-Angawi, Khaled Mohammed Al-Khudr, Saud Abdurahman Mahjoub and Ali Abdullah Al-Mubarak.
The total value of the prizes amounted to SR 420,000. The jury chose 10 submissions from each section. The prize also includesd a SR 100,000 Prince Sultan bin Salman Prize for the best photo of individuals and establishments in the category of national tourism.
The five-day forum is the first and the largest of its kind concerned with photography in the Kingdom, and the employment of photography in the marketing of national tourism. It aims to promote domestic tourism, marketing tourism destinations and products, highlighting Kingdom’s distinguished diversity, encouraging amateur and professional photographers to underline Kingdom’s rich heritage, archaeological sites and nature as well as the country’s modernity.
The event also aims to attract citizens and expatriates to domestic tourism. The SCTA forum seeks to promote both amateur and professional photographers so that they could be of service to the promotion of the heritage and tourist potential of the Kingdom.
The exhibition, which will be open to visitors until Thursday, will also showcase services related photography. While a general pavilion will highlight the history of the Kingdom with focus on kings in their domestic tourist journeys, a special section will be devoted to Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah. Another section will display the photographic achievements of Prince Sultan. There is also a section set apart for the Kingdom seen through the lenses of international photographers.
The SCTA pavilion will focus on its development and achievements in its comparatively short history. The expo will also display photos of the achievements of the ministries of Culture and Information, Education, Municipal and Rural Affairs, the King Abdul Aziz Research Foundation, the National Commission for Wildlife Conservation and Development and the Saudi Geographical Society. A number of workshops will also be conducted on the sidelines of the forum.
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