Most of them see special offers to spend their vacation abroad as much more attractive and more in line with their budget.

Local travel agencies are not providing tailored tourism packages for people who want to spend their vacation in the Kingdom. Many Saudis believe that the country is not yet ready to offer an attractive local tourism scene.

“Saudis are not curious about exploring their homeland,” said Luay Kanetah, a board member of the Taif Chamber for Commerce and Industry and a member of the Supreme Commission for Tourism and Antiquities. “Even if there are people interested in local tourism, they will encounter obstacles such as weak organization, a lack of travel guides, high prices, poor restaurants, among many other things.”

He said that transportation is one of the problems a tourist will face when attempting to spend their vacation locally, especially when they try to make use of local airlines and buses, which he said were unreliable.

“Most of the festivals show the same old thing. There is no creativity or new ideas. Festivals are poorly organized,” he added.

“It is sad that travel agencies are not providing packages for local tourists. Most Saudis traveling abroad are searching for something missing in the Kingdom, such as cinemas, outdoor activities, cool weather, museums, gardens, historical places and other attractions. Other countries respect the tourists regardless of their origins.”

Kanetah added that the weather is another factor driving people away.

“There is the problem of water and electricity supply, which is disrupted from time to time. These two elements contribute to the ‘stay-at-home mentality’. This water shortage and electricity problem could continue forever.”

Yousuf Abdul Wadood, a Saudi citizen living in Jeddah, said his friend visited him from Kuwait last year by driving all the way to Jeddah.

His friend was shocked by the experience, claiming that gas stations were dirty, while the restaurants and the food they served were filthy.

“He said it was full of insects, which was embarrassing for me because he used to travel abroad a lot and he was shocked by what he saw here,” Wadood added.

Jawaher Al-Hakami, a travel consultant at Shami Holidays Group, suggested local tourism is more expensive than going abroad.

“With prices increasing, there is little possibility of spending a one-week vacation in the Kingdom. Nowadays, foreign tourism becomes more popular with amazingly cheap packages offered by travel agencies,” she said.

“Traveling to East Asian countries would cost between SR3,000 and SR7,000 per person for a two-week trip, which includes tickets, accommodation, transportation and food. Traveling to European countries would cost around SR5,000 for 10 days, all inclusive.”

It is a different situation in Saudi Arabia. “We offer hotel reservations in Jeddah, Taif, Madinah and Dammam at SR975 per person, plus a free breakfast,” said an employee at a local travel agency, who preferred to remain anonymous.

The source added that his company offers a car and driver at a cost of SR1,000 for three days.

The source said local tourists usually request a hotel and nothing else, because other services are too expensive.

“A trip to Jeddah, Taif, Madinah and Dammam for 14 days would cost the tourist SR13,000, including hotels and tickets. Transportation, a tourist guide, dinner and lunch are not included in the price.”

The source provided Arab News with the company’s latest report about the uptake of local tourist packages until July 13.

“Only 30 percent of Saudis in our locality are interested in touring the Kingdom,” the employee said.

“Our latest report showed that we have only nine bookings in Jeddah, three in Abha, one in Riyadh, two in Dammam, four in Taif, two in Makkah, one in Alkhobar, and three in Al-Madinah.

We are not expecting more bookings, especially when Ramadan starts after three weeks.”

The high prices presented by travel agencies are mainly due to the expensive rates offered by hotels.

A booking in Jeddah and Makkah can cost from SR2,000 to SR6,000 per person for one week. During Ramadan, this rate can jump to more than SR8,000 per person.