Mapping the historical places: A case study of promoting tourism in Jeddah, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Abstract

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) is trying to build up a viable tourism industry that reflects the Islamic principles, heritage and traditions. In “Saudi Vision 2030” a special consideration has been given to develop and promote the state’s tourism, entertainment and quality of life. Jeddah is the second capital of KSA and Al-Balad is the most historic quarter that is situated in the core of Jeddah. It is renowned for its ancient buildings and unprocurable multistory coral houses. The outstanding values of Al-Balad district have been suffering from serious and challenging issues since 1947. United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has enlisted Al-Balad in the world heritage site to preserve this architectural heritage and historic territory. The aim of this paper is to locate the historic places that are situated in Al-Balad town with the help of existing maps and physical survey and developing a spatial database in the Geographical Information System (GIS). By integrating the output of spatial database and photographic survey with the history of old Jeddah, an online information source (website) has been developed. The core objective of this research is to promote tourism of Old Jeddah.