JEDDAH, 24 January 2005 — High tariffs charged by hotels and furnished apartments are forcing many visitors to spend the Eid days camping on the beach.
Most families prefer camping to renting high-priced furnished apartments. Some families interviewed by Arab News accuse owners of hotels and furnished apartments of taking advantage of the season to drive the price up and ruining their vacation.
Muhammad Zaini, from Makkah, said, “I always come to Jeddah for Eid Al-Adha when pilgrims are crowding Makkah. I come with my family to enjoy quality time on the beach. There is one bad aspect to the story, which is the high price of furnished apartments and hotels. Their tariffs go up steeply at this time of year and reach SR300 per night for a two-bedroom apartment.
“If I want to spend three nights in an apartment I need to cough up SR900 and that is not counting other expenses like food and entertainment. The best choice for a middle income person like me is to spend the day on the beach and buy the food from downtown instead of from beach stores where prices are too high.”
Abdullah Al-Wadie, from Abha, said, “I do not fancy furnished apartments. I think they charge high prices. I am used to outdoor camping and by spending time at the beach I am able to save a lot of money for my family. My family is large in number and if I have to rent something, it must be a villa with at least four bedrooms. Why do I have to pay more than SR600 a day when I can camp here for free and enjoy the beautiful view of the Red Sea? My idea of enjoying a beautiful vacation is when I enjoy my time to the maximum and spend as little as possible”.
Ahmad D., an employee working in a furnished apartment, denies that prices are too high this season. He said, “In the past I would have agreed with you on the high prices. Now, there are a large number of new furnished apartments and that leads the prices to decline. The average now is between SR250 and SR350, which is considered very low. We have expenses and salaries to pay. If we rent apartments at prices sought by customers we will be out of business”.
