Saudi Gazette report

RIYADH — Minister of Culture Prince Badr Bin Abdullah Bin Farhan has directed to exempt publishing houses from booth rental fees in Riyadh International Book Fair 2021.

The decision comes in support of the literature, publishing and translation sectors and to mitigate the effects of the pandemic on the publishing industry.

Prince Badr's directive follows a package of exceptional facilities provided to publishing houses, including a 50 percent reduction in rents, bearing all shipping costs, and providing an online store for those who can't attend the fair and electronic points of sale for all publishers.

This year's book fair has been held under the auspices of the Literature Publishing and Translation Commission, for the first time, after the previous year's book fair was canceled due to preventive measures taken by the Kingdom against the COVID-19 pandemic.

More than 1,000 publishing houses from 30 countries participated in the Book Fair in its new edition.