DAMMAM: Local tourists spent about SR31.7 billion in 2007 on shopping, accommodation, food and drinks, transport and entertainment, the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA) revealed in a study released recently.
According to the study, conducted by the commission’s center for research and tourist data, the primary reasons for Saudis to vacation internally was for spending the holidays with relatives in other locations.
The study said the tourist flights in 2007 reached 28.5 million compared to 27.1 million in 2006, an increase of five percent.
It added that local tourists spent 188 million nights in the Kingdom during 2007 compared to 184 million in 2006, a rise of three percent.
Jeddah was the city most attractive to local tourists. Makkah occupied second place followed by Riyadh, Madinah and Dammam. Makkah’s proximity to Jeddah suggests that many Jeddah-bound travelers also paid visits to the holy city.
According to the study, Saudi Arabia occupied the 11th place worldwide in the implementation of the criterion of showing the contribution of tourism in the country’s general budget. If religious pilgrimage were counted in international tourism statistics, Saudi Arabia would be one of the most visited places in the world.
The International Tourism Organization (ITO) recommended that the contribution of tourism be clearly shown in the state budget alongside other sectors of economy.
The study said the SCTA was exerting strenuous efforts to promote tourism in the Kingdom, especially the religious tourism during the pilgrimage seasons.
The SCTA has adopted a pattern that is in line with the directives of the Kingdom’s leadership aimed at promoting tourism in compliance with the local values and traditions. The commission was also developing partnership with other public and private institutions with the aim of developing tourism.
Meanwhile, ITO expected tourism in the Middle East to rise by 7.6 percent over the next two years and said by the year 2020 the area would witness an annual average increase of 7.1 percent in the sector.
It said the region would increase its present share of 2.2 percent of international tourism to 4.4 percent by the year 2020.
According to ITO, 13 Middle Eastern countries would spend around $3.63 trillion during the coming 10 years on tourist projects including hotels, entertainment facilities, aviation, naval tourist lines and other tourism infrastructure.
