RIYADH, 18 June 2003 — Tourism traffic between Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates will receive a major boost this summer because the majority of Saudi tourists are unwilling to travel to Asian destinations due to the threat of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome. Following the events of Sept 11, many Saudis chose Asian destinations over Western destinations.
Saudis, who have already been advised against traveling to several Asian countries by the Ministry of Health because of the spread of SARS that has claimed thousands of lives, will prefer tourist destinations in the Gulf, particularly Dubai, this summer, according to Bill Walshe, corporate director of a Dubai-based hospitality group.
He said the travel industry, tossed into turmoil by the Sept. 11 events, was already bouncing back with travel within the Gulf states reporting a rapid rise. Air traffic from the six GCC states to North America has dropped by more than 80 percent and to Europe by 35 percent.
Of late, many Gulf states have intensified efforts to promote their tourism sector. Saudi Arabia has already announced a national plan aimed at promoting domestic tourism. The Kingdom has more than 10,000 tourist locations. Traditionally, Saudis have been spending around SR53 billion annually on tourism abroad. The national plan foresees that in 2020, more than 34 million tourists will visit the Kingdom and 11.6 millon travel abroad.
