Taif: Governor of Taif Prince Saud bin Nahar bin Saud bin Abdulaziz has submitted the accreditation and registration portfolio for the Taif Observatory for Sustainable Tourism to the World Tourism Organization, officially joining a network of 35 sustainable tourism observatories worldwide. The official submission took place in the presence of Taif Mayor Eng. Abdullah Al-Zaidi.

According to Saudi Press Agency, the Executive Committee for the Taif Observatory for Sustainable Tourism has finalized the organizational structure, roles, and responsibilities of the various units within the observatory. Members from relevant entities participated in this effort, including the Ministry of Culture, Ministry of Tourism, Saudi Tourism Authority, National Center for Vegetation Cover Development and Combating Desertification, Taif Governorate, Taif Municipality, and Taif University.

Observatory Executive Director Dr. Ali AlGassim stated that the completion of the observatory’s accreditation portfolio followed extensive r
esearch studies conducted by specialists and experts. The observatory also seeks to obtain destination sustainability certification from other organizations and is preparing to host a sustainable tourism conference in Taif as part of the Investment Conference scheduled in mid-2025.

AlGassim emphasized that the recommendations for the observatory were based on discussions from previous meetings, noting that the observatory is the first of its kind in Saudi Arabia, as well as in the Arab world and the Middle East, focusing on the development of tourism in accordance with global standards to meet quality of life requirements.