As a prelude to the Okaz Souk Festival, the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA) is organizing tours from Taif city to the historic site of Okaz Souk. This program aims at marketing the Okaz Souk, as well as developing tourism programs, which could be introduced during the upcoming festival, in addition to presenting Taif’s attractive tourist sites, such as the Mahazza Hunting Reserve, located to the north-east; it is considered as the largest reserve in the kingdom, which includes diverse terrines, as well as rare species of flora and fauna.
The daily free trips are organized by Taif Provincial Tourism Organization in coordination with Saudi Public Transport Co. (SAPTCO). The shuttle service will start from the city’s center – Al Aziziya station, to enable residents and tourists to visit and enjoy the festival events. There will be a bus every 15 minutes, and the trip from Taif to Okaz Souk takes about 45 minutes.
Dr. Mohammad Al Saeed, the executive director of Taif PTO, pointed out that this program comes under the directions of HRH Prince Sultan Bin Salman Bin Abdul Aziz, the president of SCTA, who stressed the importance of providing all necessary means to enable tourists to reach Okaz Souk, adding that this step will also help in mitigating the traffic on roads leading to the festival’s site.
It is anticipated that the Okaz Souk Festival will attract a larger tourist influx this year.