Saudi Royal Commission says talks underway with India to develop Al-Ula as heritage site

Saudi Arabia's Royal Commission for Al-Ula is in discussions with India on ways to develop Al-Ula as a global heritage site, an official said Wednesday.

Representatives of the commission are part of the high-level delegation, led by Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, which is on a visit to India.

Al-Ula, a city which lies in the north west of Saudi Arabia, is also the Gulf nation's first world heritage site declared by UNESCO.

"We are holding talks with Indian ministries of culture, tourism and archaeology for engaging in bilateral cooperation for developing Al-Ula as a global heritage of the world," Iman AlMutairi, chief marketing officer of the Royal Commission for Al-Ula, told PTI.

India, she said, is a culturally rich country and Saudi Arabia is keen to partner with the South Asian country and learn from its experience that would help Al-Ula become a place to "travel through time".

Saudi Arabia is expecting over 2.5 lakh tourists by 2020-21 and over 20 lakh tourists by 2035 to visit Al-Ula, AlMutairi added.

The Arabian nation has so far been relying heavily on oil for its revenue but now it is looking to diversify its economy and also focus on tourism, she said.

To make the Al-Ula region an attractive destination for tourists, the Saudi government is collaborating with tour operators, travel agencies and airlines in India and also planning to soon start online visa facility for Indian tourists, AlMutairi said.

India is part of the target markets for Saudi Arabia because of its geographical proximity and the commission plans to tie up with Indian marketing agencies to help promote Al-Ula as a major tourist destination.

The Royal Commission for Al-Ula is a Saudi Arabian commission headed by the crown prince.