SCTH Prez: Intellectual transformation towards successful tourism authority is the basis of Vision 2030
aTP- Arab tourism portal- Prince Sultan bin Salman bin Abdul Aziz, President of SCTH, recently stated that, SCTH composed, organized, developed as dispersed functions to be mature and independent sectors to be handed over to Government and private sector partners to manage them.
president of SCTH made his comment in a speech he had delivered on Wednesday 11 May 2016, at celebrations of the College of Tourism and Antiquities at King Saud University on the tenth anniversary of its foundation.
president of SCTH in his speech stated that, over a year ago, he urged on the importance of dealing with different sectors as independent industries, and cited in this respect, education, health, sports, and cultural sectors, which need to be viewed as integrated industries and without such view, their performance cannot be promoted. This was recently achieved through establishment of a new administrative system.
President of SCTH, in his speech said, “The most important achievements of SCTH is its success in changing people’s perception on tourism and heritage until full acceptance. Even they began pressing and urging SCTH to complete its regulations and complete partnerships which makes tourism one of major themes of Kingdom’s “Vision 2030”.
“Thanks be to Allah for our meeting today after 10 years since the establishment of this college, and special thanks to my brother His Chancellor of KSU and I would like to commend the great shifts made in this collage in particular and KSU in general. We look forward to the new Dean of the college to become “the best successor of the best predecessor” in order to make painful shifts that of course would coincide with the great shifts that are taking place in tourism and national heritage sectors.”
“SCTH at the beginning of its journey has passed through a great phase in travail, where it had no vested authorities or potentials, and at that time it has begun with a deep and detailed vision on this economic and productive sector. It was a fractured sector then, not governed by clear regulations under which the visitors and new businessmen gathered. SCTH then had announced that its major objective is to empower and then to step down, which means to rehabilitate other sectors and empower them to run and manage tourism activities and sectors before starting “receding” phase and stepping down in order to undertake its major and basic role – the supporting and organizing role. Actually, this role has begun two years ago and it was planned in 2008, but lack of regulations of empowerment and finance had delayed the receding phase.”
SCTH during this phase managed to bring together such dispersed, and divergent activities, many players and competencies. Through close work, discussions, coordination with governors, ministers and sheikhs, we managed to reach significant intellectual transformation towards tourism, which is one of the most impressive successes achieved by SCTH in National Transformation Initiative, added President of SCTH.
“I used to say, we cannot develop new sectors only because of finance or different sources of support, in fact we developed them in light of their importance as great opportunities for new economic transformation. Now we look at the national tourism and the cultural heritage as integrated industries and we hope to see other industries such as sports, education, cultural tourism, health tourism, and entertainment as integrated industries. We see a good omen in new the organizations. I called previously for establishing new organizations such as the Cultural Organization and Sports Organization, and now we look forward to work with the new organizations to transform national culture and cultural heritage into cultural resorts and businesses to support the national tourism development.”
“I am very optimistic of the leadership of Dr. Tawfeeg Al Rabia who believes in such tendencies that the health and treatment sectors should be turned into economic and integrated industries,” he said.
President of SCTH, at the end of his speech commended the effective and special partnership between KSU, disclosing that, SCTH had sought the help of the KSU, which has participated in the development of the Tourism Development Strategy and SCTH’s others programs.
The Dean of Tourism and Antiquities College, Dr. Abdul Nasir Al Zahrani, commenced his speech by praising the support and attention the college enjoys from President of SCTH.
He said, “The College of Tourism and Antiquities was established upon a Royal Decree in 2005, and its foundation was a responsible to homeland’s needs for qualified cadres to manage Kingdom’s cultural heritage resources and employ Kingdom’s heritage potentials in different areas, especially in the tourism industry.”
