If figures for annual pilgrim arrivals are any indication, every year is a record year for Saudi Arabia. More and more pilgrims come year on year. Against the background of the massive expansion of facilities for worshippers in both Makkah and Madinah, the holy cities have seen a massive increase in the numbers arriving from all corners of the globe.
Travel agents, who have difficulty in finding bookings for passengers flying into Jeddah, especially during the peak periods of Haj, Ramadan and the Eid Al-Fitr and Eid Al-Adha holidays, say the problem is compounded by the soaring level of bookings for Umrah pilgrims.
“Umrah pilgrims come in large numbers especially before or during the Ramadan and Haj seasons. Some of those who are coming later will also be utilizing the opportunity to perform Haj,” said a senior executive for Kanoo Travel.
In 2004, an estimated two million pilgrims came from the world over to perform the annual Haj and three million more for the year-round Umrah, which took them to Makkah and also to Madinah to pray at the Prophet’s Mosque. Additionally, a million residents in the Kingdom perform Haj. Another million are estimated to perform Umrah at some point during the year.
A recent study by researchers at Jeddah’s King Abdul Aziz University shows that revenues from Umrah during the last season totaled around SR12 billion. Of this, SR9 billion came from overseas pilgrims, the rest from those resident in the Kingdom.
It estimated that a pilgrim spends an average of SR3,000 for Umrah. The amount includes travel (about SR1,500), accommodation, transport and on payments to service providers like Umrah operators and local and international travel agencies. The major portion of the pilgrim’s travel expenses goes to Saudi Arabian Airlines, whose total earnings for last year exceeded SR4.5 billion, almost 40 percent more than the previous year. During the last Haj, the Kingdom’s national carrier transported more than one million pilgrims from and to 86 destinations on more than 4,500 flights worldwide over a period of 75 days starting in mid-December last year.
Each pilgrim pays an average of SR500 for his accommodation during the Umrah stay, according to the study. The total costs of accommodation have been estimated to be around SR1.5 billion. Umrah firms are estimated to have earned SR300 million in commission, with each pilgrim spending SR100 toward this. Shopping malls, restaurants, sales outlets, recreation centers and other tourist facilities received a share of SR2.7 billion last year. Pilgrims also usually spend money on food and shopping gifts to take back home as mementos of the two holy cities and their pilgrimage.
A new feature during the last three Haj seasons was that pilgrims were transported in large numbers direct to and from Madinah’s Prince Muhammad ibn Abdul Aziz Airport, in addition to King Abdul Aziz International Airport in Jeddah. Saudi Arabian Airlines’ operations to Madinah included direct flights from Turkey, Iran, Malaysia, Indonesia and India. Numerous pilgrim organizations and specialized bodies in many Muslim countries have agreements with Saudi Arabian Airlines to transport pilgrims, while many of the estimated 220 licensed Saudi Umrah operators have tie-ups with overseas travel agencies or tour operators to transport Umrah pilgrims.
Umrah visitors are, of course, not tourists, but they represent tourist potential in a different way, however. Since they are here, why not encourage them to stay afterward, see the sites, relax, go shopping, and get a medical check-up. After all, medical tourism is a growth industry in many countries. The result is a plan to allow Umrah pilgrims to spend time in the Kingdom as tourists once their pilgrimage is over. The scheme envisages a possible extension of the 30-day Umrah visa to 60 days so that pilgrims can visit not only Makkah and Madinah but other places in the Kingdom. As part of this, the Supreme Commission for Tourism (SCT) has reached an agreement with the Ministry of Haj to change the license of Umrah firms to become tourist companies by the end of the year.
“We don’t consider Haj and Umrah as tourism products. At the same time, we believe pilgrims could make use of our huge tourism potential when they come for Haj and Umrah,” SCT Secretary-General Prince Sultan ibn Salman is quoted as saying in a report.
After religious and religious-related tourism, the other target for the Kingdom’s tourist industry planners is the local market. It is growing. It has to. Since 2000, the Kingdom has topped Arab countries in numbers of its citizens traveling abroad on vacation. During the summer months, some 3.5 million Saudis travel to other countries, mainly Egypt, the UAE, Lebanon and Syria. It is estimated that they spend several billion dollars every year doing so. So the commission is particularly concerned to promote domestic tourism.
Linked to that, SCT is targeting 1.45 million students and 6,000 teachers in a nationwide school tourism program. This is part of SCT’s efforts to prepare the country for tourism, both to attract Saudis to what there is on offer at home and to involve them in growing the industry, from bottom to top. There will be jobs in the industry. They need to know what it involves.
The idea that Saudi Arabia could become a major international tourist destination — another Dubai or Maldives or Kenya — is largely on hold. The Kingdom’s tourism strategy, prepared with the support of 7,000 public and private institutions and consultancy firms, believes that the Kingdom could gradually become one of the preferred tourist destinations in the world, quite apart from pilgrim tourism; but that is seen as something a long way down the line. There is an acceptance that Saudi Arabia is not yet ready to make the changes that such a development would require. They would not be compatible with the Kingdom’s culture and traditions. But there are many other avenues.
“We plan to promote business, conference and medical tourism to go alongside Umrah tourism,” Prince Sultan recently said.
Together with pilgrim tourism and domestic tourism, SCT has focused on medical tourism. Already, visitors from different parts of the Kingdom and abroad have been seeking diagnosis and treatment at various hospitals and medical centers, mainly in Jeddah and Riyadh. “The idea is to get more visitors to our medical facilities — which are among the best in the world,” the prince said.
Continuous pilgrim arrivals have also resulted in a boom in the construction sector in the two holy cities. Many hotels, apartments and pilgrim centers have opened in the recent past and continue to mushroom to meet demand.
A study entitled “Seasonality: Issues and Solutions,” conducted in 2004 by the National Center for Information and Research, affiliated with the Higher Authority for Tourism and founded in 2003, revealed that there are many obstacles to developing tourism in Saudi Arabia.
These include the activities and presence of the Committee for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice at tourist sites, a rise in prices, restrictions on forms of entertainment, fears of terrorist attacks, long distances between sites, the increases in the costs of domestic flights and the behavior of some young men. Another factor is the lack of tourist programs offered and the unorganized nature of those that are available. In addition, Saudi Arabia is not well known as a tourist destination.
The study quotes two Saudi men that are illustrative of the general attitude toward tourism in Saudi Arabia. One young man from Riyadh said: “It’s better to sleep than to spend a holiday here.” Another man from Jeddah said: “A holiday here is nothing but a headache.”
The study noted that the average Saudi takes one long holiday annually. This vacation is usually taken in the summer or during the two main religious festivals of Eid Al-Fitr and Eid Al-Adha. The main reasons given by Saudis for going abroad are to escape the Saudi heat, to enjoy the range of entertainment and for personal freedom. According to the study, most Saudis prefer to take their vacations during the summer months abroad if they can afford it and stay at home with their families for Eid Al-Fitr. Eid Al-Adha is usually celebrated abroad.
As anywhere else, school holidays, finance, work schedules and the duration of holidays are all important factors in the decision where to go for a Saudi family. The climate, as in many countries, is also a major consideration. The study revealed that most people believe that the school holidays given for the Eid festivals are not long enough for families to go abroad.
There needs to be more joined-up thinking as well. For example, in January there will be Eid Al-Adha holidays, after which schools and universities reopen. But then two weeks later they close for the spring vacation. “They ought to bring forward the vacation to link up with the Eid,” said a disgruntled parent. “Of course, they never think about what we ordinary people might want.”
Meanwhile, it is clear that the SCT has something of a struggle to attract most Saudis to staying in the Kingdom for their vacation. Some of those interviewed for the research center report said that security and safety for families is an issue and a good reason for staying in Saudi Arabia for the vacation. Moreover, the study showed that Saudis prefer to holiday with their families and that Ramadan is the most popular month for taking short vacations — usually spent in hometowns, visiting holy places or natural tourist attractions.
Most of those interviewed, however, stated that, all in all, they preferred to holiday abroad rather than in Saudi Arabia. It is more relaxing and there is more to enjoy. The study also indicates a widespread perception that local tourism is expensive, that services and facilities are poor, that there is little information about historical sites and other attractions. Also that it does not meet the needs of young people who want a less restrictive environment. Some even described local tourism as backward in comparison to that of other countries in the Gulf.
That being the case, it would seem fair to say that the SCT’s school tourism campaign has its work cut out for it.