This year at Arabian Travel Market 2001 in Dubai there were so many vacation destinations competing for attention. Some of them were traditional getaways like Egypt but others, such as Brazil, were a bit of a walk on the wild side.
Many Saudi tourists went to Malaysia the last couple of years and their reaction to it has been mixed. Mirza Muhammad Taiyab, director, Corporate Division, Malaysia Tourism Promotion Board, was aware of the problems but he was certain that because Tourism Malaysia had been hard at work devising strategies and implementing new policies everyone’s stay would be more enjoyable this year.
“Malaysia is a very attractive nation for tourists coming from Saudi Arabia because it is full of greenery and has excellent facilities for families,” said Taiyab. “It is a wonderful place for a summer vacation. Also, we feel that Malaysia is cleaner in every respect than other countries in the region. I would like to assure Saudi tourists that in Malaysia the overall welfare of Saudi families is our priority.”
Taiyab went on to explain that Malaysia is such a family oriented location because for years the entertainment business in the county had developed to accommodate Malaysian families. There are many theme parks for children. Some resorts have kids clubs and baby-sitters.
Taiyab admitted that with the huge increase in traffic last year, it had been a struggle for hotels and resorts to cope. Some hotels did not increase staffing levels. That led to a decrease in service, which was not appreciated. The tourism industry in general was unaware of the requirements of Saudi tourists and this caused some misunderstandings. The bottom line is that changes have been made.
“Major hotels and resorts have been asked to have an Arabic-speaking staff member assigned to the front desk during daytime working hours,” said Taiyab. “They have been recruiting students from the Islamic universities for this purpose. We have also worked with the hotels to teach them how to deal with Saudi families with more sensitivity. Security has been beefed up in areas frequented by Saudis to reduce, if not eliminate, petty crimes. Some hotels have changed their room styles and put in more interconnecting rooms.”
Taiyab also advised Saudi families to help themselves make their vacation a success. Families are encouraged to hire a guide. In Malaysia, guides don’t cost much but can make a big difference in the overall enjoyment of the vacation. The Tourism Board has printed this year’s brochures in Arabic. The brochures are very informative and Saudi tourists are requested to procure them either from the hotels or from the Tourism Board Offices when they arrive in Malaysia. Taiyab also wished that Saudi families would consider vacationing in outlying areas for part of their stay.
One of the destinations that lost tourists as a result of the migration to Malaysia was Egypt. Valentino Bertolini, general manager, Sheraton Heliopolis, Cairo, said he believes that trend has now been reversed.
“Corporate client numbers from the Gulf are up,” he said. “For a couple of years the hotels, guides and other tourism providers in Cairo went crazy with their prices. They got a hard lesson. This year things are much more competitive. So now people are considering Egypt again.”
Bertolini’s major point in discussing Egypt as a tourist destination for Saudis was that Cairo is a place that they want to come back to frequently. Because of the language, culture and facilities, Saudis feel very comfortable in Cairo.
“Oh, Saudis will go to a destination like Malaysia or Australia once,” Bertolini pointed out, “But Egypt, because it’s so nearby, is some place that they would like to go every year. They want to see the new films and plays. They want to shop. They like to come here with the whole family — young and old — and everyone can have a good time. That’s what makes Egypt attractive.”
On the security issues Bertolini emphatically stated that people shouldn’t be too concerned.
“Security here has always been good,” he said. “The security scare a few years back was an aberration. It could have happened anywhere. Egyptians are very reasonable non-aggressive people in general. My family lives in Cairo and we feel very safe. Definitely safer than we’d feel in New York or even London.”
The Sheraton Heliopolis attracts large numbers of Saudi guests because it has one of the largest private gardens in Cairo and extensive sports facilities. Seventy percent of their guests are in Cairo for business; thirty percent come for pleasure.
“However,” said Bertolini, “these lines are becoming increasingly blurred. We have found that business people are working harder but they want to have a little fun too. So we try to make sure our facilities fulfill all their needs.”
Another nation popular with Saudis in the past but concerned with how its image is being portrayed overseas is the UK. James Ramage, director, sales and marketing, Central London Hotels, Starwood Hotels & Resorts, expressed exasperation with how CNN has taken up the issue of foot-and-mouth disease.
“I live in a rural area of the UK outside London, and I swear that I haven’t seen one dead animal or one burning pile of carcasses,” Ramage said. “When I travel overseas and see how CNN keeps showing that same awful footage of farm animals being destroyed it makes me crazy. I want people to know that farmers are taking precautions and it has been unpleasant for our livestock industry but that tourists are still coming and enjoying themselves and we hope that many Saudis will be visiting with us as usual this year.”
British Tourist Authority projections show that for Britain, visa requests worldwide are up 30 percent over last year. This bodes well for a successful summer season for the tourism industry. To help tourists with their trip planning the BTA website has a special section providing FMD information. By going to visitbritain.com and entering an attraction or area name, visitors can get complete details of the FMD situation at that location. We tried it for Legoland Windsor which was voted the Best UK Attraction for Families in the 2000 Group Leisure Magazine Awards. The visitbritain.com website informed us that there were no problems at all in visiting Legoland and that we should move forward with our trip.
If your family is planning to go to Legoland this summer you should know that the park has a brand new feature for all racing fans. At Lego Racer guests can design and build a racing car to their own specifications and then take on the opposition in purpose built racing pods. Legoland Windsor is a theme park that has over 50 rides, shows and attractions suitable for children for 2-12 years of age and their families. The emphasis at the park is on combining the Lego core values of creativity, fun, development, play and learning in an environment where children are firmly in control.
Visitors coming from Saudi Arabia should look into purchasing Legoland entry tickets online in advance. Purchasing tickets in advance guarantees that a family will be admitted to this popular attraction on the specified date and will be able to bypass the lines at the ticket booths at the gates. For more information on all aspects of Legoland Windsor go to their website at legoland.co.uk. Legoland is the place to go for kiddy racing fans but if you’re an adult looking for a really fast and exciting vacation this year, you’ll definitely want to consider the Formula 1 holidays in Austria and Monaco. The concept has been developed by Emad Tours ([email protected]).
Included in the total price of the trip are round trip air tickets, limousine transfers, and accommodation. The Austria trip features the Formula Program: Introduction to the racing ring including driving lessons with a professional in a Lemans Sports Car and training on a F1 simulator. Then you’ll be able to go five laps self drive in a Formula 2000 car and three laps self drive in a Formula 1 Minardi with 650 PS. Cost: $6570 per racer — $960 per escort. In Monaco, the driving lessons are with Jacques Alder and the AGS team. Included are training for 25 laps on a F3 Opel Lotus, 17 PS and three laps self drive in an AGS, 650 PS Cogsworth V8. Cost: $6870 per racer.
Those individuals who can’t get away from the Kingdom this summer can still have something to look forward to if they book now for SoccerEx 2001, which will be held at the Jumeirah Beach Hotel in Dubai on Oct. 22-23. SoccerEx is the world’s leading annual football conference and exhibition. In previous years it has been held in London, Paris and Los Angeles. For 2001 it is being held in Dubai with the idea that this venue is the gateway between Europe and Asia. SoccerEx is an opportunity to see and hear about what’s happening in the world’s biggest sport and get a look at all the latest equipment. It is anticipated that attendance will be huge. Additional information is available at soccerex.com.
The final bit of tourism information to highlight today is from the Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce. Brazil is an out of the way destination for tourists from the Kingdom but that just means that businessmen from Brazil are working harder to interest visitors from this area. For the Middle East market they have produced in Arabic, English and Portuguese impressive brochures on business and tourism opportunities in Brazil. They should be given a nice round of applause for their effort and everyone should learn more about them at their website ccab.com.br.
