SCTA launches info machines

The Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA) launched an electronic information machine that shares information on the Kingdom's cities.
Hamad Al-Alshaikh, assistant vice president for marketing at SCTA, said: “The touch screen machines allow users to find out about tourism in Saudi Arabia and have been distributed to 150 locations; primarily hotels, airports and malls.”
The machines are linked to SCTA headquarters in Riyadh and provide online information in both Arabic and English; the languages used most locally.
Al-Alshaikh said the service is a comprehensive online source of information on travel in and around the Kingdom. Information is updated frequently with the latest travel offers, accommodation, mall listings, recreational services, museums, historic areas, hospitals, travel agencies and even photo albums.
Users can search and send information to their cellphones via Bluetooth.
Al-Alshaikh expects the number of machines to reach 350 in the near future and the number of users to double in the next year. He said this service is an important marketing tool for local tourism.
Mohammed Al-Rifaee, public relations manager at Jeddah Intercontinental Hotel, said SCTA provided one of its machines to his hotel for free and is happy to report around 60 to 70 people use the machine daily.
The electronic service is aimed at the local tourist but will also help foreign visitors.
Many tourists and visitors have already found the machine to be useful especially those who visit the Kingdom for the first time. Arab News talked to Shaun Til, a British visitor, who said the information machine helped him to get to know the area as he visiting Saudi Arabia for the first time.
Reem Diab from Jordan said she has used the machine many times to find out about entertainment places such as theme parks.
Mokhlis Al-Iraqi, president of the Arab Union of Jujitsu, praised the information service machine saying he has never seen this kind of machine in any other Arab country.