RIYADH: The chairman of the Shoura Council's Culture, Information, Tourism and Antiquities Committee, Ahmad Alzieli, said that thousands of Saudis travel to neighboring countries to go to cinemas and see new films.
"When we establish cinemas in the Kingdom it will curtail the number of people traveling abroad," he said.
He hoped that the launch will be in Taif at the end of the week and that there will be separate sections for men and women, considering this as a norm for the people of Makkah, Taif and Jeddah.
Alzieli hoped that theater and cinema activities will be under the newly formed General Authority for Entertainment, adding there should be coordination between the Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage (SCTNH) and the General Authority for Entertainment because the former has much experience under the leadership of Prince Sultan bin Salman who is seen as an "administrative powerhouse" having made agreements with over 100 companies in the Kingdom.
He hoped the new authority will benefit from SCTNH through workshops to expand the horizons of entertainment and find ways of the private sector investing in different kinds of entertainment in the Kingdom that could generate jobs for Saudis.
"We hope that once the state decides to create theaters and cinemas, which will take quite a while, the General Authority for Entertainment will have the power and authority to provide the opportunity and protection for investors in this field.
"We don't know about the vision and goal of establishing an entertainment authority, but we can see it has everything to do with the entertainment
of nationals and expats, and there are examples like theater, cinema, festivals and swimming pools, and these will be part of an infrastructure strategy for the future," he said.
Cinemas likely to curtail outbound travel
Cinemas likely to curtail outbound travel
