JEDDAH, 26 July 2003 — The travel trade has taken a nosedive, although some leading airlines and travel agencies still hope that residents will make last-minute decisions to escape the summer heat and revive business.
Saudi families, traditionally known for listing Orlando, Florida, as their first preference during the summer months, are shunning not only their favorite resort destination but also the rest of the United States because the impact of Sept. 11 has made travel to the US difficult.
“Europe, especially Paris, London and Switzerland are still family destinations, but the numbers don’t compare favorably with the last two years.
What happened to many destinations in the Middle East-Gulf region and the Far East in the wake of the Iraq War and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) is now part of history. That was also a bad patch for the travel trade,” a travel agent said.
“Many Saudi families are remaining where they are, or at best travel across the Kingdom to places of interest or to visit relatives and friends,” says Kanoo Holidays’ Manager Mujib Khan.
Among European destinations, France, Switzerland and Austria have been the three main hot destinations this season. “I’m getting inquiries for travel to Malaysia — whose travel industry suffered a big setback due to SARS — but the main focus has remained on Europe, Egypt, Lebanon and Dubai,” Khan said.
Those traveling within the region usually prefer to travel by road and so airlines and travel agents don’t benefit at all, agents say.
The Jordan Tourism Board has lined up cultural, art and musical events this season to attract Saudi and other Arab travelers.
“Jordan is gaining popularity for its summer festivals, and cultural events, all of which make it a favorite leisure destination. We’ve already welcomed over 222,000 visitors to Jordan this year from the GCC, and we expect a 25 percent increase in overnight visitors from countries like the Kingdom, Kuwait, the UAE and Bahrain this time,” JTB Managing Director Marwan Khoury said.
Attar Travel’s head of sales and marketing A. Alavi agreed that there was a big drop in vacationers going to the US. “In fact, Europe, barring London and Paris, is also not as popular as last year or the year before.”
The average Saudi family prefers to go to Beirut and Cairo. “Malaysia has picked up as a destination, although there was reluctance on the part of vacationers to go there earlier in the season.”
Apparently, Malaysia’s awareness campaign that the country is now SARS-free has worked.
“The peak season is now over,” Air-India’s Western Province Manager S.M. Mazharullah said.
“Those who could not make it during the peak season are now trying to take short vacations,” he said, adding that some Saudi families have considered stopping over in India and visit its attractions before proceeding to some Far East countries.
