JEDDAH: On Eid Al-Fitr, Jeddah is due to launch the 30-day, 36th annual Jeddah Festival under the patronage of the Jeddah Gov. Prince Mishaal bin Majed.
Economic experts expect visitors to spend more than SR15 billion in light of more than 120 activities and events lined up for the festival, and prizes worth millions of riyals with the participation of more than 2,000 visitors in the inauguration ceremony.
The importance of this big event stems out of its timing and the availability of the tourism elements which can be found in Jeddah.
The festival is being held only days after the release of The Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Report 2015 where the Kingdom was ranked fifth on the Arab level and 64th globally.
Jeddah Festival is posed to be a strong competitor with the Dubai Festival and other entrenched Arab tourism destinations popular among Saudis, such as Cairo and Beirut. Jeddah is regarded the first tourism destination in the Kingdom with more than 5 million tourists visiting the city annually.
The Secretary General of Jeddah Chamber for Commerce and Industry, Adnan bin Hussein Mandoura, noted the big role played by Jeddah Gov. Prince Mishaal bin Majed, who is also the chairman of the Supreme Committee of the Jeddah Festival saying: “The festival this year aims to concentrate on the development and innovation of its events and seeks to launch special programs and activities under the slogan “We extended it,” meaning the period of the festival which will be extended this year to 30 days.”
He said the city’s economic sector will be the largest beneficiary of the festival which is expected to achieve remarkable success through the cooperation of all the concerned parties who are implementing the events and activities of the festival.
He explained that the festival will personify Jeddah as a global tourist city through its events, most notably the Italian Bellucci Circus and the World Circus on Prince Sultan Street, in addition to several comedy plays presented by well-known Saudi personalities.
“The festival will witness the biggest draws and prizes to attract more visitors, with the organizers having already launched an advertising campaign worth more than SR10 million to promote the events,” he concluded.
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