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TOURISM
Arabian traditional cultural event. The photo displaying of ancient culture taken at the Souk Okaz festival in June
2018 which was was held in Taif city (Image: Sainuddeen Alanthi / Shutterstock.com)
The Iconic Okaz Souk
One such event to look forward to is the iconic Okaz Souk,
characterized by special literary, cultural and artistic events
apart from the popular classical poetry contest ‘Poet of Okaz’.
Okaz Souk also includes the Arab Souk, where visitors will
discover the offerings of several Arab countries for the first
time. Another popular event is the Crown Prince’s Festival
of Camels, a prefect demonstration of what is an intrinsic
part of Arab culture. Visitors can be assured of an excellent
variety of activities to choose from including hiking, roses
& fruit festival, Art Street, a series of plays, aeronautical
and adventure sports activities, such as parachute jumping,
will be taking place, in and entertainment events, which in
their turn earmark the Taif region as an ideal ‘Arab Summer
Resort’ destination now reveling in its spanking new look.
According to Noura Al Akil, Director of Taif Season, by
highlighting the historical heritage, cultural and artistic
diversity, while providing quality events and various activities
that meet the aspirations of Saudi and resident families and
the guests of the Kingdom, Taif will find its natural place
as an ‘Arab Summer Resort’. She shared that: “In order to
provide an exceptional experience for visiting families from the
Kingdom, residents and tourists from outside the Kingdom,
this year, collaborative efforts have been made by public and
private sectors as well as the general community, in addition to
participation from a number of Arab countries… The Season
serves to reintroduce Taif as the first tourist destination in the both seasons can be perused. As endorsed by SCTH officials
Kingdom since its establishment.”
Natural Beauty of Al-Soudah
The Al-Soudah region is best characterized by its splendid
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natural beauty, ranging from forests to highlands, and unique
heritage and cultural treasures. On his part Hossam Al Deen
bin Saleh Al Madani, Director of Souda Season, was keen
to share that the Souda Season is a result of the Kingdom’s
visionary leadership’s push to reinforce the tourism, culture,
and entertainment industries, in a bid to increase quality of
life for citizens and create a vibrant society, a goal enabled by
the Kingdom’s excellent touristic resources. He also spoke of
its event calendar which was designed to put Souda on the
cutting edge by focusing on the many aspects of Souda’s natural,
historical, and cultural assets, as well as the immense potential
for entertainment and sport activities, considering its excellent
climate. Visitors would be exposed to all these wondrous aspects
through the line-up of events all based on the area’s central
features of nature, scenery, heritage, culture, entertainment,
adventure, sports and climate.
Importantly also, this would all be supported by a comprehensive
range of services including accommodation in the local parks of
Souda, premium, international restaurants, and guided tours
of Souda and Abha, the aim of this exercise is also to showcase
the tourism infrastructure that is established and growing, and
ensure that the services necessary to relaunch the tourism sector
in Souda is well in place.
Both Taif and Souda Seasons have just launched their social
media accounts, along with their online platforms on the
Saudi Seasons website, where important details regarding
the events being lined up for the Taif and Al-Soudah seasons
are part of coordinated efforts between the public and private
sectors. (SPA).