Asir Governor Prince Faisal ibn Khaled announced that starting this year, there will no longer be musical concerts at the Abha Tourism Festival. Prince Khaled, who is chairman of the Tourism Development Council, told a news conference the concerts are not an important part of the festival. However, an Operetta consisting of national songs and traditional dance will be held. The festival attracts large numbers of tourists from various parts of the Kingdom and neighboring Gulf countries.
Extremists have previously voiced strong opposition to the musical portion of the festival. Famous Saudi and Gulf singers like Muhammad Abdu, Khaled Abdul Rahman and Rashid Al-Majed have participated in the concert in the past, attracting large numbers of people. The festival will begin 8 July and end on 21 August.
