Saudis are increasingly spending their vacations abroad because of the rising cost of local accommodation and lack of tourist facilities.
However, for those families who cannot afford expensive trips abroad or even local tourist spots, the alternative is to head for their neighborhood mall.
The United Arab Emirates, particularly Dubai, is benefiting from an influx of Saudi tourists. Other popular tourist spots include Sharm Al-Sheikh.
Official figures recently issued by the Dubai Department of Tourism revealed that 1.13 million Saudis visited Dubai in 2012, compared to 870,000 in 2011. This makes Saudis the number one visitors to Dubai.
Some less well-off families spend their vacation in Jeddah, Madinah or Taif.
Khalid Hakami, manager of a recreation and resort group in Jeddah, said seafront resorts are normally 90 percent full during the midterm vacation, with prices up by 50 percent.
Saeed Al-Ghamdi, a father of five children, said he cannot afford the high prices of Jeddah seafront resorts that range from SR 3,000 to SR 5,000 for a two-room chalet for only two days. “I prefer to spend the vacation around the malls of the city or at the very few free waterfront or coastal sites,” Al-Ghamdi added.
Umm Wesam, a Saudi principal at a government school, said it was pointless to vacation locally or abroad because of the soaring costs. She prefers to spend time at home during the holidays reading and receiving friends and relatives.
Salim Al-Juhani, who came from Makkah to spend time at the Red Sea Mall with his children, said he had no choice. “I have had difficulty booking. I wish I had booked in advance in Dubai where the recreation and tourism programs are more diverse and effective compared with our poor tourism (facilities) here,” he said.
Mustafa Amin, an Egyptian expatriate and father of two sons, said there were very few advertisements for events at theaters, sport functions and other recreation programs. He said the only children’s shows are offered by MBC3 at the Al-Harthi Exhibition Center. “However, the prices are very high, at around SR 300 per child,” he complained.
Ahmad Khater, a Saudi science teacher drove to Madinah on Wednesday to spend four days in the city. He said he chose to avoid the traffic jams in Jeddah by staying in Madinah and visiting the Prophet’s Mosque. However, the 30 percent hike in hotel costs has dampened his enthusiasm. “A room with two beds in a hotel near the Prophet’s Mosque just rose to SR 1,500 per day compared to the previous rate of SR 1,000. I have been told that the prices go back to normal by the end of the vacation,” he said.
The lack of local facilities has also been highlighted recently by Prince Sultan bin Salman, the president of the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA).
Dr. Khalid Al-Harthi, head of the hospitality committee at the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JCCI), told Arab News that tourism could be improved in the Kingdom by providing SCTA a budget for promotions and development and by new privatizing projects.
Price hikes force Saudis to vacation abroad
