JEDDAH, 4 July — Modesh, a startling yellow being, half man half caterpillar, visited Jeddah recently as part of an aggressive advertising campaign for the Dubai Summer Surprise celebrations.
Children and parents alike apparently welcomed this fantasy mascot, promoted on television and in the press in a saturation campaign for Dubai, with open arms.
A rash of half-page advertisements for the Dubai Summer Surprise have appeared in the Kingdom recently complementing the antics of the foam-rubber hero.
Modesh has embarked on a tour of the GCC countries and, according to a press statement, “he distributed gifts, chocolates and promotional material of the DSS, giving children an overview of what they can expect in Dubai during the DSS.”
Somewhere in the shadows of this campaign is a comparatively modest mention of a local activity that children might want to know about — the Jeddah Summer Festival. Opened with a bang a week or so ago, it is possible to find mention of it in small timetables of events buried on the inner pages of the newspapers.
Where is the storm of advertising that might bring in the spending tourists into Jeddah? Is there a powerful promotional drive in the GCC countries to attract families into the Kingdom for the Jeddah Summer Festival? What is the mascot that has been chosen to promote Jeddah as the place of fun and entertainment for the whole family?
The Sept. 11 events are having a positive spin-off for Lebanon, Egypt and Jordan. They are gearing up for record numbers of Arab tourists. Advertisements for travel and attractive offers outside the Kingdom are commonplace in the national press.
True, Saudi Arabia is putting money into revitalizing the Asir region and its tourist attractions — but to attract whom? Apart from the occasional press release or carefully worded announcement, there is little marketing in comparison with the competition from the other Middle Eastern countries.
Tourism is a potential moneymaker for the Kingdom. Organization of the Jeddah Festival takes considerable effort and investment. Without aggressive advertising and promotion in and outside the Kingdom, convenient and easy access from other countries and the backup of well organized and serviced facilities, then it’s all for very little.
The flood of advertising from Dubai and other foreign tourist boards might explain why there is outflow of Saudi tourists from the Kingdom at this time of year. It might, however, be to get away from the foam-rubber hero on his travels round the Kingdom.
