286 Saudi islands on offer for tourism investment in southern Jazan

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JAZAN: The Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage (SCTH) has announced that 286 islands off the Jazan coast will be on the market for tourism investment to raise the state’s income.

Rustom Al-Kubaisi, head of the SCTH’s branch in Jazan, said that an executive committee has been formed to encourage tourism investment by Jazan Gov. Prince Mohammed bin Nasser bin Abdul Aziz on Wednesday, along with a center for tourism investment services.

Al-Kubaisi, who was appointed secretary-general of the committee, told Sabq e-newspaper that forming this committee aims to publicize the Jazan region and the tourism investments available, facilitate and accelerate investment procedures so that the region can attract more investors from the tourism sector and make a qualitative shift to tourism services, in accordance with the Kingdom’s Vision 2030.

The committee aims to raise the competitiveness of the tourism investment environment in Jazan by resolving obstacles facing investors; accelerating investment procedures; offering investment opportunities in a professional way; studying investors’ needs, wishes and reasons keeping them from investing; creating a well-studied and intensive marketing campaign to introduce the region; and offering investment opportunities through the participation in specialized exhibitions in the Kingdom as a first step, and in the Arab Gulf as a second step.

The 286 Farasan Islands, are one of the biggest island groups in the southern part of Red Sea, and one of the most important touristic locations, thanks to its natural beauty.

The SCTH has allocated SR3 billion ($800 million) to develop and transform the islands into a touristic environment. Farasan is the largest island of the Farasan Islands, located some 50 km offshore from Jazan. A number of uninhabited islands serve as breeding sites for large numbers of birds and Arabian gazelles.

Farasan Island was considered a major part of the trade in pearls in the Indian Ocean and the Red Sea in ancient times.