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Saudi Arabia promotes its ascent as a tourist hot spot

08-11-2023

RIYADH: AlUla’s rise as a tourist destination has been boosted with national flag carrier Saudia increasing its connectivity to the ancient city from Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam to eight flights a week.

According to a statement, the agreement between the Royal Commission for AlUla and the airline was formalized on Nov. 6 during the inaugural day of the World Travel Market event in London.

Saudia Vice President of Passenger Sales Manal Al-Shehri and RCU Vice President of the Marketing and Management Office Rami Al-Moallim signed the agreement.

Commenting on the deal, Al-Shehri said that her company is a strategic partner of the RCU in supporting efforts to attract tourists to the Kingdom, both locally and internationally.

She added that the agreement marks a progressive stride in strategic cooperation, especially following the launch of the airline’s new brand focused on embedding Saudi culture and identity into its products and services.

Al-Moallim also said that the collaboration represents a continuation of several significant partnerships established by the RCU with the airline over recent years.

Meanwhile, ales at the fourth Saudi Falcons Club auction exceeded SR6 million ($1.6 million), the Saudi Press Agency reported.

The auction was launched at the club’s Malham headquarters near Riyadh on Oct. 1 and will continue until Nov. 15.

Four falcons were sold for SR319,000, bringing the sales total so far to SR6,004,000, the SPA said on Monday.

The proceeds from the auction will go toward supporting investment in falcons, holding further auctions, and organizing the buying and selling processes.

Organizers said that the event aims to promote the country’s falconry heritage and support related cultural and economic activities, while also offering opportunities to invest in a field that has helped support the development of the national economy.

Earlier, two peregrine falcons stole the show at auction, fetching record sale prices of SR300,000 and SR250,000.

During the club’s first auction in 2020, 102 falcons were sold over 20 days, with total sales exceeding SR10 million. At the second auction, 95 falcons were sold for a combined SR8.3 million, and during the third, 81 birds sold for more than SR7 million. (Int’l Monitoring Desk)

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