RIYADH, 13 June 2007 — An estimated 5 million tourists, majority of them Saudis, are expected to leave the Kingdom for their holidays this summer.
Travel agents in the capital have geared up to work for prolonged hours to serve outbound tourists as well as expatriates who will be leaving with their families during the forthcoming school holidays.
“Last year, Saudi tourists spent around SR60 billion during their summer holidays abroad but this year their expenditures are likely to increase by another eight percent due to an increase in fares, accommodation, travel and transport rates as a result of the appreciation of foreign currencies,” said Dr. Nasser Al-Tayyar, chairman of the Al-Tayyar Group of Companies.
He added that this year popular destinations include Malaysia and Egypt. “Malaysia has become the preferred choice of Saudis since it is an Islamic country which is a good resort for a family holiday. It also fulfills the needs of the Kingdom’s tourists by way of excellent shopping facilities, theme parks and privacy during their stay,” he said.
Last year, Al-Tayyar said around 70 percent of Saudi tourists visited countries in the region such as Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria and the United Arab Emirates. Considering the current situation in Lebanon and Syria coupled with the high costs of hotel and other expenses in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Jordan, he added that Egypt has emerged as a primary choice in the region.
Favorite resorts include Sharm El-Sheikh and Hurgadha, with those in the Central Province liking to go to the former, while Saudis living in the Western Province choosing the latter as their holiday destination.
He pointed out that this year, a good number of tourists have shown interest in visiting countries such as South Korea, China, New Zealand and Australia. “This will catch up gradually in coming years,” he predicted.
“A large section of the high income group of Saudis prefer countries such as Switzerland, France, Austria and Italy, while low budget tourists opt for countries such as Malaysia, Thailand, Maldives and India,” Mohammed Jinnah, senior member of the travel trade in the city, told Arab News, adding that this year quite a large number of tourists have chosen India as their destination.
Gulf nationals, who hold Schengen visas, are being given visas on arrival at Geneva.
The tourist traffic to Sri Lanka is low, he said. However, he added that SriLankan Airlines has come out with attractive tour packages to Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, the Maldives and Indian capitals, in addition to Colombo.
The Chief Operations Manager at Unique Choice, Zawfir Ziard, who deals with accommodations abroad for the tourists from the Kingdom, told Arab News that there is a demand for cruises among Saudi tourists — mainly the seven-day European cruises and four-day cruises covering Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand.
These are luxury liners equivalent to five-star hotels, he added.
Here in the Kingdom, Ziard said popular domestic destinations include Abha, Taif, Makkah, Madinah and Baha. “The common trend in domestic tourism is that the people in the Central Province move out for western or eastern destinations during the summer holidays,” he said, adding that Jeddah and Dammam are the most popular cities in the summer.
The Supreme Commission for Tourism (SCT) has launched a number of programs to encourage domestic tourism. Summer festivals are being organized by the respective regions in Abha and Jeddah to attract the locals in various parts of the Kingdom during this season.
The commission is to license 18 tour operators as part of efforts to boost domestic tourism.
The licensing of operators is expected to increase the number of tourists from abroad.
Many foreign tourists are interested in visiting the Kingdom’s historical and archaeological sites such as Madain Saleh, Khaibar and ancient forts. Saudi Arabia is also currently preparing a national plan to restore historical sites.
