Abha named capital of tourism in the Middle East

CAIRO – 28 July 2017: Abha was just named the capital of tourism in the Middle East for 2017. Abha is the first Saudi Arabian city to win the competition, following the Lebanese city of Byblos in 2016 and Sharjah of the UAE the year before.


Chand Baori (Step-well) at Abhaneri – CC via Wikimedia Commons/Chetan


Abha from Abha Palace Hotel - CC via Wikimedia Commons/BroadArrow

Prince Mansour bin Muqrin, the governor of Asir, said Wednesday that naming Abha the capital of tourism in the Middle East will revive tourism and over the long run serve the vision 2030, which aims to change the status of Saudi Arabia’s economy from solely being oil-based and start a wave of change in the whole region, Reuters reported.


Abha- Saudi Arabia - Al Sawda peak - CC via Flicker/Marviikad


Abha, Saudi Arabia - CC via Flicker/Java4