The Ministry of Tourism (MoT; ), before 2020 as the Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage (SCTH), until 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.
In February 2019, the Ministry of Tourism launched a demo program called "Saudi seasons 2019", which conducts 11 tourism seasons that cover most of Saudi provinces. The program was produced by a higher committee supervised by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, as well as Ministry of Culture, General Entertainment Authority, General Sports Authority, and Saudi Exhibition & Convention Bureau. It consists of a number of culture, sports, entertainment, and business related events, with the main goals being to level-up the quality of Saudi resident lives, increasing economic activity in the country, provide working opportunities for Saudis, and supporting tourism in Saudi.
STCH launched the "Saudi Archaeological Masterpieces through the Ages" exhibition in July 2018 which they displayed 400 rare artifacts of Saudi Arabia's cultural heritage in the United States and China.
The idea was put forward by former President of France Jacques Chirac at the âÂÂMasterpieces of Islamic Artâ exhibition at the National Museum of Saudi Arabia in Riyadh during his visit to Saudi Arabia in 2006 and was taken into consideration by King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia. The exhibition was inaugurated in 2010 at the Louvre Museum in Paris. After its success in Paris, the exhibition was further carried out by STCH in several other European, American and European countries.
MAS is the Arabic acronym for Tourism Information and Research Center. It is an important department of the SCTH responsible for collecting tourism data and conducting researches and related studies. According to the Article 4, paragraph 3, of the SCTH statute, a Tourism Information and Research Centre shall be established to develop and promote tourism, and to issue tourism publications in coordination with the concerned parties. Accordingly, in 2002 the centre was established.
Takamul is a program launched by the Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage. The main aim of the program is to qualify Saudi professionals to manage and operate the tourism sector in Saudi Arabia. The program is mainly tailored to provide training courses that qualify as international accredited tour guides. To date, 9,631 young Saudis have benefited from the programs.
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