The Abha Tourism Festival will begin on July 8 and run until August 21, said Asir Governor, Prince Faisal bin Khaled. "There will be no musical concerts, contrary to the rumours which have been circulating about the festival's important events," the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA) quoted Prince Faisal as saying on Tuesday.

Instead, there would be an operetta composed of national songs and traditional dances aimed at drawing tourists from different parts of the Kingdom and neighbouring Gulf countries. "The ban on concerts comes as a result of strong opposition from the public" Prince Faisal said, adding that concerts in the past had attracted prominent Saudi and Gulf singers such as Muhammad Abdu, Khaled Abdul Rahman, Hussein Al-Jasmi, Rashid Al-Majed, Rashid Al-Faris, and Nabeel Shuail.