Urban heritage sites ‘need funds’

A number of municipal directors here have called on the government to provide more funds for the preservation and development of heritage sites in their regions, to help boost the local tourism industry and create jobs.
At workshops held recently on the issue, they said they had to use funds allocated for other purposes to develop many sites.
Badr Al-Hamdan, director of Al-Majma’ah Municipality, said many directors have become quite “enthusiastic” over the years about the upkeep and renovation of these sites. They have also set aside budgets for these projects.
Sulaiman Al-Ayid, director of Aflaj Municipality, said that Spain and other advanced economies have successfully preserved many historic urban heritage sites with the help of significant funding. These sites are now “visited by millions of tourists from all over the world.”
“Here in Saudi Arabia we now feel that the state is showing great interest in our urban heritage and are very hopeful that we will receive support in the near future,” he said.
Mishari Al-Naim, general supervisor of the urban heritage center, believes the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA) and the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs have done a lot to safeguard Saudi urban heritage sites. “The two bodies recognized the huge economic returns for local communities handling these sites, especially in creating direct and indirect jobs.
“The projects will surely contribute significantly to employment,” he said.
“The agreements signed by the SCTA with the government’s financing arms have ensured loans to finance sites and towns of historic importance. For example, the SCTA signed an agreement with the Saudi Bank for Loans and Savings to sponsor small and medium-sized enterprises in the tourism sector. Last year, the bank financed 44 tourism and heritage projects with over SR 35.6 million, he said.