JEDDAH, 21 February 2006 — A four-day seminar on sustainable tourism being held here moved to analyzing Obhur Creek in Jeddah as a case study yesterday.
The morning session set out the management and planning tools used successfully in tourist destinations around the world. The afternoon was occupied with the first of several site visits to gather data.
“Tourism is at the top of the food chain,” Ted Manning, an analyst for the UN’s World Tourism organization (UNWTO), told the conference. “It is based on what everyone else does and has to be managed along with all the other industries in the area.”
Gabor Vereczi, a representative of the Sustainable Development of Tourism Department at the UNWTO, stressed the importance of indicators as an analytical tool and contributors to the design of a sustainable tourism program.
“Indicators need to be included in the planning stage,” he said, “and the seminar will use Obhur Creek as a case study for the workshops here.”
Manning said that 25 basic indicators provide a sound base to begin evaluating tourist impact on an area. He said that not all were actions of tourism on the destination but reactions of tourists to the destination.
“Tourists’ experience in the destination and the comparison of the projected image of the place to the reality they found determine their level of satisfaction,” he said. This in turn has an effect on repeat visits and word-of-mouth promotion.
“This might look advanced for us, but we can truly never underestimate what we are capable of achieving,” said Feryial Al-Shuwaier, a social service specialist at the SCT.
The SCT was in the process of increasing its awareness of the tourism and interaction with tourists, so that as tourism develops, “our citizens will be ready to be part of it,” said Al-Shuwaier.
The SCT is educating and spreading tourism awareness in schools. Sixty-five volunteers have been trained to help train teachers. They have already reached 2,600 teachers and these will help educate more than 150,000 students, according to the SCT.
“Saudi Arabia has a lot to offer. When tourists come here, a bond is created between the city and the visitors, especially for the Muslim tourist,” said Farizon Ibrahim, the director of a travel agency in Malaysia who lived in Saudi Arabia for seven years.
Ibrahim said she was impressed by the quality of the speakers but felt the need to focus on countries that had similar history and cultural background.
“The tourism sector here and in Malaysia too is considered virgin,” she said.
Allowing Umrah visas and allowing women to come and visit without chaperons would make a great difference. The number of Muslims was increasing and demand for trips to religious destinations here was always active.
Vereczi concurred, pointing out that people must not underestimate the complexity of the local destinations. What might not appeal to one type of tourist could be interesting for another.
