Saudi visitors top Dubai tourism rankings

In the last few years, tourism by Saudis in the UAE has grown in strength, and with it relations between the two countries, since Saudi tourists have proven to be a main player in boosting the UAE economy.
The main attraction remains Dubai, but in recent years Saudi visitors have also been exploring other destinations in the UAE, such as Abu Dhabi and Ras Al-Khaimah, who have been working on the touristic strategy of their cities.
According to a tourist agency in the UAE, Saudi Arabia topped the source markets with 1,128,757 visitors to Dubai, while the number of Saudi visitors to Abu Dhabi was 70,765 in 2013.
Traveling to the UAE has become easy for Saudis. Making the 5 flight hours’ journey to Central Europe or 12 flight hours’ journey to North America creates a financial burden on mid-income Saudis, who make up a substantial proportion of the country’s population.
“In my days, we used to be able to travel once a year”, says Amal N., 45, a Saudi businesswoman now living in Dubai. With the liberalization of the tourism and travel regulations through the General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) — among them open sky policies - establishment of the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiques in 2000 (SCTA) and licensing more travel agencies, the Saudi middle class is using the opportunity to travel more.
One popular destination was and is neighboring Bahrain — a quick 25 min drive on the King Fahd Causeway for those living in Alkhobar. Also Lebanon, Egypt and Syria have been popular destinations since the late 1950s, often due to family members studying there and family ties. However, the political unrest in these countries has made Dubai a safer more attractive destination for Saudi Arabian travelers. “Dubai is obviously a beneficiary of that,” an official in the hotel business in Dubai, told Arab News.
There are no specific times when for Saudi tourists visit Dubai. The city is not more than 3 hours away from most destinations in Saudi Arabia, and, therefore, is a popular destination throughout the year. Some visitors like to come on weekend for short breaks. “My 5 kids from different age groups prefer Dubai over Europe; it offers everything although they are different age groups and they enjoy their time here,” said Amani S., 40. “Since 2 years, I have been coming in the summer, even though the weather is very hot, but the services and entertainment offered to us as a family make everything possible.”
Saudis visit Dubai during the summer holidays — Eid Al-Fitr and Eid Al-Adha. They also come during the Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF) and Gitex Shopper. Shopping is almost the top priority for the majority of visitors from Saudi Arabia. And, in return, retailers have seen strong business from them. A CEO of a worldwide consumer electronics retailer said that Saudi buyers account for between 4 and 5 percent of the annual turnover. In 2014, he expects the figure to reach between 5.5 and 6 percent.
The managing partner of a watch distributor says 35 percent of the customers at his shop are Saudis. “I expect that sales will go up as Dubai will continue to be a luxurious, safe and convenient destination for GCC residents,” he said.
Not only 5-star hotels are in demand, but even 4-star hotels are becoming more and more popular among Saudi tourists, since they offer good value through packages. DTCM has considered this in its Vision 2020, and has opened more than five 4-Stars hotels in the last 2 years. “They love to stay in mid-scale four and five star hotels,” said Olivier Hick, Accor’s vice-president of operations in the Gulf and Levant countries in a recent interview. Accor has witnessed a 25 percent growth in guests from the Kingdom over the last two years, Hick added.
Other hoteliers have also commented on growing demand from Saudi tourists. “This year, Atlantis witnessed an increase of 15 percent in the number of Saudi tourists who visited the resort with their families and friends during Eid Al-Fitr, compared to the year 2012. In total, Saudi tourists spent more than 20,000 nights at the resort during the first half of 2013,” said Yousif Mukhtar, regional director of sales at Atlantis, The Palm, in an interview with an Emirati newspaper.
While some hoteliers said they expect an increase in business from Saudi visitors in the coming months, a director of sales at a 4-star hotel believes otherwise. He said that business for his hotel will remain stable because of the increase in number of hotels being built.