أعجبني وزير السياحة وهو يقضي عطلة الصيف داخل المملكة، رأينا صوره مع عائلته في منتجع البحر الأحمر، وقبل يومين شاهدناه يتجول في المرافق السياحية في الطائف، وقد رأيناه وفريق عمله في بقية مناطق الجذب السياحي الصيفي، مثل عسير والباحة وغيرها، علماً أن السياحة لم تعد معتمدة في موسم الصيف على الطقس المعتدل فقط، بل على عناصر أخرى مهمة كالفعاليات الترفيهية المتنوعة.
تخيلوا لو كان الوزير يروّج للسياحة داخل المملكة في هذا الموسم بينما هو يسترخي في أحد المنتجعات الأوروبية. من حقه كإنسان أن يختار أين يقضي عطلته في العالم، لكن حين جعله قدره وزيراً للسياحة فإن الأمور تختلف بالنسبة له، وما أكثر انتقادنا أحياناً للمسؤولين، بل وقسوتنا في النقد لهم عندما يمارسون حقهم في الاختيار فيما يتعلق بحياتهم الخاصة، نخلط كمجتمع بشكل كبير بين الشخصي والعام، ونميل الى ممارسة الضغط المجتمعي بشكل جائر أحياناً.
على أي حال، الخاطرة السابقة قفزت الى ذهني قبل أن أعلق على الخبر الجميل الذي يفيد أن السعودية حققت تفوقاً سياحياً جديداً، إذ تصدرت المركز الأول عالمياً كأعلى وجهة سياحية في نسبة نمو إيرادات السيَّاح الدوليين في الربع الأول من عام 2025، مقارنة بالفترة المماثلة من العام 2019، وذلك وفقاً لمنظمة الأمم المتحدة للسياحة. وأما لماذا وكيف حققت هذا التفوق فذلك يعود الى 10 عناصر جذب ضاعفت حضور المملكة ضمن قوائم الوجهات العالمية مثل: «محور ربط القارات الـ 3 - جودة الحياة - التأشيرة السياحية - السياحة الدينية - المؤشرات الأمنية - تعدد الوجهات - المحميات الطبيعية - بنية تحتية صلبة - التسويق السياحي- التطبيقات الذكية».
عناصر الجذب المذكورة أعلاه هي ممكنات قوية لسياحة دولية متزايدة مستقبلاً، ومتأكدون أن مزيداً من عناصر الجذب سوف تتحقق لأننا أصبحنا نتعامل مع السياحة بفكر علمي منهجي ومؤسسي، وأصبحت وزارة السياحة شعلة من النشاط المستمر لتحقيق سياحة مستدامة متعددة الجوانب.
مثير جداً مشهد السياح الأجانب وهم يتجولون في معظم مناطق المملكة، تملأهم الدهشة والانبهار من كل التفاصيل الثرية في الطبيعة والآثار والثقافة والفنون والتراث والأزياء والطعام، والأهم التعامل الراقي للمجتمع السعودي، والأمن الراسخ الذي يحيط بالجميع.
حمود أبو طالب
في الصيف.. وزير السياحة بيننا!
15 يوليو 2025 - 00:02
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آخر تحديث 15 يوليو 2025 - 00:02
تابع قناة عكاظ على الواتساب
I liked the Minister of Tourism while he was spending the summer vacation within the kingdom. We saw his pictures with his family at a Red Sea resort, and two days ago we saw him wandering around the tourist facilities in Taif. We also saw him and his team in other summer tourist attractions, such as Asir, Al-Baha, and others. It is worth noting that tourism is no longer solely dependent on mild weather during the summer season, but also on other important elements such as diverse recreational activities.
Imagine if the minister were promoting tourism within the kingdom this season while relaxing at one of the European resorts. He has the right as a human to choose where to spend his vacation in the world, but when fate made him the Minister of Tourism, things are different for him. We often criticize officials, and we can be harsh in our criticism when they exercise their right to choose regarding their private lives. As a society, we greatly mix the personal and the public, and we tend to exert societal pressure in an excessive manner at times.
In any case, the previous thought crossed my mind before I commented on the wonderful news that Saudi Arabia has achieved a new tourism milestone, as it ranked first globally as the highest tourist destination in terms of growth in international tourist revenue in the first quarter of 2025, compared to the same period in 2019, according to the United Nations World Tourism Organization. As for why and how this achievement was made, it is due to 10 attraction elements that have doubled the kingdom's presence on global destination lists, such as: "The Three-Continent Connectivity Hub - Quality of Life - Tourist Visa - Religious Tourism - Security Indicators - Multiple Destinations - Nature Reserves - Solid Infrastructure - Tourism Marketing - Smart Applications."
The aforementioned attraction elements are strong enablers for increasing international tourism in the future, and we are confident that more attraction elements will be realized because we have started to approach tourism with a scientific, systematic, and institutional mindset. The Ministry of Tourism has become a beacon of continuous activity aimed at achieving sustainable, multifaceted tourism.
It is very exciting to see foreign tourists wandering around most areas of the kingdom, filled with amazement and wonder at all the rich details in nature, antiquities, culture, arts, heritage, fashion, and food, and most importantly, the refined interactions of the Saudi community, along with the solid security that surrounds everyone.
Imagine if the minister were promoting tourism within the kingdom this season while relaxing at one of the European resorts. He has the right as a human to choose where to spend his vacation in the world, but when fate made him the Minister of Tourism, things are different for him. We often criticize officials, and we can be harsh in our criticism when they exercise their right to choose regarding their private lives. As a society, we greatly mix the personal and the public, and we tend to exert societal pressure in an excessive manner at times.
In any case, the previous thought crossed my mind before I commented on the wonderful news that Saudi Arabia has achieved a new tourism milestone, as it ranked first globally as the highest tourist destination in terms of growth in international tourist revenue in the first quarter of 2025, compared to the same period in 2019, according to the United Nations World Tourism Organization. As for why and how this achievement was made, it is due to 10 attraction elements that have doubled the kingdom's presence on global destination lists, such as: "The Three-Continent Connectivity Hub - Quality of Life - Tourist Visa - Religious Tourism - Security Indicators - Multiple Destinations - Nature Reserves - Solid Infrastructure - Tourism Marketing - Smart Applications."
The aforementioned attraction elements are strong enablers for increasing international tourism in the future, and we are confident that more attraction elements will be realized because we have started to approach tourism with a scientific, systematic, and institutional mindset. The Ministry of Tourism has become a beacon of continuous activity aimed at achieving sustainable, multifaceted tourism.
It is very exciting to see foreign tourists wandering around most areas of the kingdom, filled with amazement and wonder at all the rich details in nature, antiquities, culture, arts, heritage, fashion, and food, and most importantly, the refined interactions of the Saudi community, along with the solid security that surrounds everyone.


