A group photo of RCA members and TDLC
AlUla, home to the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Hegra and other ancient cities, is Saudi Arabia's most popular tourist destination. The Royal Commission for AlUla (RCA) aims to leverage sustainable tourism to drive economic growth and job creation.
On April 17, 2025, six representatives from the RCA visited the Tokyo Development Learning Center (TDLC) and met with Christopher Pablo, TDLC Team Leader, and Shin Tanabe, Knowledge Management Officer to learn about the TDLC as a learning center, as well as exploring meaningful and relevant partnerships with Japanese counterparts for knowledge exchange.
As it partners with Kyoto City, TDLC has been engaged in knowledge-sharing activities in the fields of historical and cultural preservation and sustainable urban development. One example is the publication of an English-language report titled “Local Revitalization Through Community-driven Site-specific Art Festivals: The Case of Echigo-Tsumari, Japan” which was modeled after the Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennale in Niigata Prefecture.
The RCA members who visited TDLC received explanations about the training programs related to cultural heritage preservation and sustainable development that TDLC has been engaged in, and observed Technical Deep Dives (TDD) on Municipal Finance that was being held at TDLC on the day. Based on lessons from the past programs, TDLC pointed out that it is important to enhance tourism value by clustering individual facilities, as well as to position local governments and local start-up companies as actors in such district revitalization efforts, and to engage community for the transformation of the district.
Both parties will continue to explore opportunities for knowledge sharing in the future.
Meeting with RCA members (on the right) at TDLC