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Saudi Tourism Authority
The Saudi Tourism Authority (STA) () is an organ of Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Tourism that is concerned with promoting travel and tourism industry of the country. Established in March 2020 by King Salman against the backdrop of the surging COVID-19 pandemic, it is the official promoter of the Visit Saudi program and supervises tourism-related marketing campaigns domestically and internationally. History The Saudi Tourism Authority was established on March 10, 2020 through a royal decree issued by King Salman after approval from the Council of Ministers and upon recommendations from the Council of Economic and Development Affairs. In June 2020, it launched the ''Tanaffasa'' () programme, which lasted between 25 June and 30 September that saw 10 natural tourist spots being selected across the country for tourists and travelers to explore Saudi Arabia's summer season. In December 2020, the body organized the ''Sheeta Haulaka'' () programme, which lasted between 10 December ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Government Of Saudi Arabia
The politics of Saudi Arabia takes place in the context of a unitary absolute monarchy along Islamic lines, where the King is both the head of state and government. Decisions are, to a large extent, made on the basis of consultation among the King, the Council of Ministers, and the country's traditional elites. Most critics regard the Saudi government as a totalitarian state. The Basic Law of Saudi Arabia contains many characteristics of what might be called a constitution in other countries. However, The Qur'an is declared to be the official constitution of the country which is governed on the basis of Islamic law (Shari'a). The Allegiance Council is responsible to determine the new King and the new Crown Prince. All citizens of full age have a right to attend, meet, and petition the king directly through the traditional tribal meeting known as the majlis. The government is dominated by the vast royal family, the Al Saud, which has often been divided by internal disputes and i ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Diplomatic Quarter (Riyadh)
The Diplomatic Quarter (DQ) (), also known by its Arabic name as-Safarat, is a diplomatic enclave and an affluent residential district in northwestern Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in close proximity to Irqah. Spanned across 800 hectares, it hosts most of the foreign embassies and some of the government departments in the city besides being a popular tourist attraction. Until November 2018, it was administered by the Irqah Sub-Municipality before the district's responsibility was placed under the newly created Diplomatic Quarter General Authority. History The Diplomatic Quarter was established on November 25, 1975, through a Council of Ministers resolution during the reign of King Khalid upon the relocation of the headquarters of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs from Jeddah to Riyadh. It was the brainchild of Riyadh's then governor Prince Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud. On 27 November 2018, a royal decree issued by King Salman instructed the creation of the Diplomatic Quarter Authority w ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Riyadh
Riyadh (, ar, الرياض, 'ar-Riyāḍ, lit.: 'The Gardens' Najdi pronunciation: ), formerly known as Hajr al-Yamamah, is the capital and largest city of Saudi Arabia. It is also the capital of the Riyadh Province and the centre of the Riyadh Governorate. It is the largest city on the Arabian Peninsula, and is situated in the center of the an-Nafud desert, on the eastern part of the Najd plateau. The city sits at an average of above sea level, and receives around 5 million tourists each year, making it the forty-ninth most visited city in the world and the 6th in the Middle East. Riyadh had a population of 7.6 million people in 2019, making it the most-populous city in Saudi Arabia, 3rd most populous in the Middle East, and 38th most populous in Asia. The first mentioning of the city by the name ''Riyadh'' was in 1590, by an early Arab chronicler. In 1737, Deham Ibn Dawwas, who was from the neighboring Manfuha, settled in and took control of the city. Deham built a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the Arab world, and the largest in Western Asia and the Middle East. It is bordered by the Red Sea to the west; Jordan, Iraq, and Kuwait to the north; the Persian Gulf, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates to the east; Oman to the southeast; and Yemen to the south. Bahrain is an island country off the east coast. The Gulf of Aqaba in the northwest separates Saudi Arabia from Egypt. Saudi Arabia is the only country with a coastline along both the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf, and most of its terrain consists of arid desert, lowland, steppe, and mountains. Its capital and largest city is Riyadh. The country is home to Mecca and Medina, the two holiest cities in Islam. Pre-Islamic Arabia, the territory that constitutes modern-day Saudi Ar ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ahmed Al Khateeb
Ahmed bin Aqil al-Khateeb ( ar, أحمد الخطيب) a Saudi Arabian bureaucrat who has been serving as Minister of Tourism of Saudi Arabia since January 2019. He previously led the country's General Entertainment Authority as its inaugural president between May 2016 and June 2018 and prior to which was the Minister of Health from 2014 till 2016. He is also a former advisor at the Saudi Royal Court and has served as the chairman of Saudi Arabian Military Industries as well as the Saudi Fund for Development. Early life and career Al Khateeb was born in Riyadh in 1965. He graduated with a BA in Business Administration from King Saud University, and subsequently gained a diploma in Wealth Management from Dalhousie University in Canada. In 1992, Al Khateeb joined Riyad Bank and worked on the establishment of its Customer Investment department. He worked for eleven years in different departments of the firm. In 2003, he joined SABB Bank and participated in the establishment o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ministry Of Tourism (Saudi Arabia)
The Ministry of Tourism (MoT; ar, وزارة السياحة, translit=Wizārah al-Sīāḥah), before 2020 as the Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage (SCTH), till 2015 as the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA) and prior to 2008 as the Supreme Commission for Tourism (SCT), is a government ministry in Saudi Arabia that is concerned with the tourism sector of the country. Established in the year 2000 through a royal decree by King Fahd, it was transformed into a ministry in 2020. Foundation SCTH foundation has passed through several stages before reaching to its current structure by becoming the only public administration authorized and responsible for tourism and national heritage in the Kingdom. These stages are as follows: # On 12/01/1421 AH, (16/04/2000), Saudi Council of Ministers issued Resolution No. (9), approving the establishment of “Supreme Commission for Tourism” (SCT), stressing that tourism is one of the major productive sectors ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tourism In Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia is the second biggest tourist destination in the Middle East with over 16 million visiting in 2017. Although most tourism in Saudi Arabia still largely involves religious pilgrimages, there is growth in the leisure tourism sector. As the tourism sector has been largely boosted lately, the sector is expected to be the white oil for Saudi Arabia. This is proved as tourism sector is expected to generate $25 billion in 2019. Potential tourist areas include the Hijaz and Sarawat Mountains, Red Sea diving and a number of ancient ruins. According to the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), in 2018, Travel and tourism in Saudi Arabia added 9% to the Kingdom’s total economy which is worth $65.2 billion. In December 2013, Saudi Arabia announced its intention to begin issuing tourist visas for the first time in its history. Council of Ministers entrusted the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities with visa issuing on the basis of certain regulations approved b ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Salman Of Saudi Arabia
Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud ( ar, سلمان بن عبد العزیز آل سعود, , ; born 31 December 1935) is King of Saudi Arabia, reigning since 2015, and served as Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia from 2015 to 2022. The 25th son of King Abdulaziz, the founder of Saudi Arabia, he assumed the throne on 23 January 2015. Prior to his accession, he was Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia from 16 June 2012 to 23 January 2015. Salman is the 3rd oldest living head of state and the oldest living monarch. Salman is a son of King Abdulaziz and Hassa bint Ahmed Al Sudairi, making him one of the Sudairi Seven. He was the deputy governor of Riyadh and later the governor of Riyadh for 48 years from 1963 to 2011. He was then appointed minister of defense. He was named crown prince in 2012. Salman became king in 2015 upon the death of his half-brother, King Abdullah. Since December 2019, he is the oldest surviving son of King Abdulaziz. Salman's major initiatives as king include the Saudi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
COVID-19 Pandemic In Saudi Arabia
The COVID-19 pandemic in Saudi Arabia is part of the worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 () caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (). The first case in the kingdom was confirmed by the Ministry of Health on 2 March 2020 and in the following months, the kingdom held the highest number of confirmed cases in the Arab states of the Persian Gulf. The kingdom announced the suspension of all domestic and international travel on March 21; domestic travel being reinitiated on May 21. After curfews and lockdowns were placed on several administrative levels, the number of daily confirmed cases shrunk dramatically and by June 21, all curfews were lifted through a three-phase program enacted throughout the country, except the city of Mecca. By mid-July, the kingdom was seeing more daily recoveries than cases. The Hajj took place with only 10,000 socially-distanced pilgrims allowed to take part in the annual pilgrimage, which fell during the last ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Council Of Ministers Of Saudi Arabia
The Saudi Council of Ministers ( ar, مجلس الوزراء السعودي ''Majlis al-Wuzarā' as-Su‘ūdī'') is the cabinet of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. It is led by the King. The council consists of the king, the Crown Prince, and cabinet ministers. The Crown Prince is also Prime Minister and Chair of the Council of Ministers. Since 2015, there are 23 ministers with portfolio and seven ministers of state, two of whom have special responsibilities. All members of the council are appointed by royal decree. The Council of Ministers was established by King Abdulaziz in 1953. It is responsible for "drafting and overseeing the implementation of the internal, external, financial, economic, educational and defense policies, and general affairs of the state." It functions in accordance with the Basic Law of Saudi Arabia and is advised by the Consultative Assembly. Legislation must be ratified by a royal decree. It meets every Tuesday and is chaired by the King in his capacity as ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Council Of Economic And Development Affairs (Saudi Arabia)
The Saudi Council of Economic and Development Affairs is one of two subcabinets of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. It was established by King Salman to replace the Supreme Economic Council, and is led by the King Salman’s son and Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman, who holds additional roles such as Defense minister. History The fall in oil prices in 2014, coupled with developing security threats led King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud to reshuffle the existing cabinet structure and staff. On 29 January 2015, days after assuming the throne, King Salman bin Abdulaziz ordered major changes to government including a cabinet reshuffle, via royal decree. He replaced a dozen existing cabinets, or advisory bodies, with two new ones: the Council of Political and Security Affairs, and the Council of Economic and Development Affairs, in order to improve efficiency in the government’s decision-making apparatus. Each year, a meeting is chaired by the crown prince to review and assess the Counci ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Culture Of Saudi Arabia
The cultural setting of Saudi Arabia is greatly influenced by the Arab and Islamic culture. The society is in general deeply religious, conservative, traditional, and family-oriented. Many attitudes and traditions are centuries-old, derived from Arab civilization and Islamic heritage. However, its culture has also been affected by rapid change, as the country was transformed from an impoverished nomadic society into a rich commodity producer in just a few years in the 1970s. This change has also been affected by and the result of a number of factors including the communications revolution and external scholarships. The most recent ruler or king of Saudi is King Salman of Saudi Arabia. Tripp, ''Culture Shock'', 2003: p.28 The Wahhabi Islamic movement, which arose in the 18th century and is sometimes described as austerely puritanical, now predominates in the country. Following the principle of "enjoining good and forbidding wrong", there are many limitations and prohibitions on b ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
