JEDDAH, 12 April 2003 – Even for off-season, the travel industry is at an all-time low. Jeddah’s King Abdul Aziz International Airport is wearing a deserted look, with the number of incoming passengers far exceeding those setting off. A sizeable number of passengers in ihram are arriving daily for Umrah. But, inquiries with airlines and travel agencies reveal that there are several reasons for the slump.
The war on Iraq has made both business travelers and tourists change their plans. Trade delegations from a number of countries have put off their visits, and exhibitions and other local events are either cancelled or postponed indefinitely. This has in turn hit the hotel industry badly. “Never before have city hotels seen such a low room occupancy rate; they’ve been averaging an occupancy rate of not more than 30 percent,” a senior sales and marketing executive of an international hotel chain told Arab News.
Moreover, the Kingdom’s decision to limit the period for exit/re-entry visas to two months has compelled many expatriate workers to change their vacation plans. “Some of our workers prefer to take a vacation once in four years so that they can be with their families back home for up to six months. Now that is no longer possible,” Abdullah Alkindi, an executive at a Gulf-based trading company in south Jeddah, said. The outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) in some East Asian countries has also been stemming the flow of incoming and outgoing passengers.
As Saudi Arabia has advised its citizens against traveling to parts of East Asia due to the outbreak of SARS, the Presidency of Civil Aviation has cautioned all airlines operating through the Kingdom to be on the look-out for passengers showing symptoms of atypical pneumonia.
“Even airlines not from the Far East have been taking precautions,” Air-India’s Western Province Manager S.M. Mazharullah said. Airline crew members have been educated about SARS and ways of handling suspected victims. What has prompted all airlines to be on their guard is the latest directive from a Taiwanese health official that airlines should step up their own battle against the killer virus by not allowing flight crew members with flu-like symptoms to board planes.
A PCA source said quarantine facilities were available for passengers or crew members showing symptoms of the deadly virus.
