On 3 December 2023, Mr. Thanawat Sirikul, Deputy Director-General of the Department of Information, led a delegation including the representatives of the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Tourism and Sports who participated in the Red Sea International Film Festival, along with the representatives of the Royal Thai Consulate-General in Jeddah, to visit the historical district Al-Balad in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The delegation was warmly welcomed by the representatives of the Ministry of Culture of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and received a briefing on the development project of the area.

On this occasion, the Deputy Director-General of the Department of Information reiterated Thailand's interest to exchange knowledge on tourism and cultural management as well as academic cooperation on the history of pilgrimage of Thai Muslims and to explore possibility of promoting Thai investors including hotels and restuarants in the area to foster people-to-people ties.

The historical district Al-Balad is an ancient city, which can be traced back to the 7th century, and has served as a major port and a gateway to Makkah Al Mukarramah City. The historical district Al-Balad deteriorated over time and was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2014. Currently, the Government of Saudi Arabia has a project to develop and restore the area to become a residential, commercial and historical tourism destination that generates economic income under the country's Vision 2030.