Swiss Tourism Website Goes Arabic
ARAB NEWS: JEDDAH: Switzerland Tourism on Tuesday launched an Arabic version of its website for the benefit of the large number of people from the Middle East who wish to visit the country.

"This has been done to meet the requirement of our growing number of tourists from the Middle East and Arab world," Jorg P. Krebs, Switzerland Tourism's director markets for Gulf, India, Russia, Nordic countries, the Czech Republic and Poland, told a press conference at the Jeddah Hilton.

The country has been receiving a great number of inquiries about education and health care facilities, aside of course from tourism. "It is against this background that Swiss Tourism now provides all information in Arabic," Krebs said, adding that the website already provides information in 30 other world languages.

Krebs added that the country's "comprehensive, elaborate and excellent" facilities for education and health care in particular have been attracting a large number of Saudis and expatriates from the Kingdom. Demand for Switzerland's language schools, high schools and universities is growing from this part of the world. Also, the GCC visitors favor our destinations because of the country's solid tourism infrastructure and facilities that suit the Muslim world, he said. "We have tailor-made facilities for Ramadan with chalets, holiday apartments and starred hotels," he said, adding that the country today boasts 45,000 holiday apartments and 3,500 starred hotels for tourists. >>> K. S. Ramkumar, Arab News | Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Three American Tourists Held in Iran
LOS ANGELES TIMES: Two men and a woman apparently strayed across the Iranian border while on a hiking trip in Iraq's mountainous Kurdistan region. The State Department is seeking consular access.

Reporting from Baghdad -- Three Americans who apparently strayed across the Iranian border while on a hiking trip in the northern Iraqi region of Kurdistan are in Iranian custody, that country's state-run television reported Saturday.

The Arabic-language Al Alam station quoted an Interior Ministry official as saying the Americans, two men and a woman, were detained after they ignored warnings from border guards and crossed into Iran in a remote mountainous area about 55 miles northeast of the Kurdish town of Sulaymaniya.

The U.S. Embassy in Baghdad said it was investigating reports that the three were missing and couldn't confirm any details. The State Department said in a statement that it had asked the Swiss government, which looks after U.S. interests in Iran, to confirm the reports with the Iranians and to seek consular access. >>> Liz Sly | Sunday, August 02, 2009

Sultan Outlines Kingdom’s Tourism Goals
Fun will be had by all on this holiday. It is certain to become a vacation of a life-time. You'll be able to drink as much as you want (Zam Zam water if you're lucky), you'll be able to watch, first hand, a few beheadings in the public square, you might be able to watch a woman being stoned to death for adultery, and you might also be able to cram in a whipping of a few of the local homosexuals! A fun holiday is guaranteed! If you return, and don't get thrown into jail yourself before your flight home. - ©Mark

ARAB NEWS: RIYADH: Prince Sultan bin Salman, secretary-general of the General Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (GCTA), said yesterday that the commission aims to make Saudi Arabia one of the most-favored tourism destinations in the region.

Prince Sultan was speaking at a luncheon meeting organized to launch GCTA’s summer tourism program. The tourism plan, Prince Sultan said, has details of the events, fun and frolics, traditional arts, folklore skits and sporting events that will be organized by local companies and tourism organizations in cooperation with the GCTA in different parts of the Kingdom this year.

“Our aim is to ensure sustainable growth of tourism sector and to offer the best tourism products and services with an aim to promote domestic tourism,” Prince Sultan said. “We are striving hard to make this country one of the three most favored tourism destinations of this region,” said the GCTA chief while giving an overview of the GCTA’s operations.

“There is a lot for tourists to do in Saudi Arabia and we have a lot to offer,” Prince Sultan said. Sultan outlines Kingdom’s tourism goals >>> By Ghazanfar Ali Khan | June 22, 2008

The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Paperback - UK)
The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Hardback - UK)

Supreme Commission for Tourism Plans Islamic Heritage Museum
ARAB NEWS: JEDDAH — Prince Sultan bin Salman, secretary-general of the Supreme Commission for Tourism (SCT), announced plans to establish an Islamic heritage museum in Makkah and a Qur’an museum in Madinah.

He said the two museums would be established in cooperation with the Ministry of Islamic Affairs. The project is significant as it targets nearly 10 million foreign pilgrims who visit the Kingdom every year to perform Haj and Umrah.

“We’ll establish six new museums in different regions this year and renovate 12 others,” the SCT chief said. He also disclosed plans to establish a large museum in Jeddah, which attracts more than two million tourists and visitors annually.

The Jeddah museum will be located at Khozam Palace, Prince Sultan said, adding that it would be similar to the National Museum in Riyadh. SCT Plans Islamic Heritage Museum >>>

The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Paperback - UK)
The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Hardback - UK)