RIYADH  - Turki al-Sheikh, the head of Saudi Arabia's entertainment authority, called for local and national banks to meet with him to fund new projects, he said in a tweet on Wednesday.

Saudi Arabia has embarked on a series of state-backed efforts to encourage public leisure activities after decades of tight social restrictions.

(Reporting by Stephen Kalin, writing by Davide Barbuscia) ((Davide.Barbuscia@thomsonreuters.com; +971522604297; Reuters Messaging: davide.barbuscia.reuters.com@reuters.net))