JEDDAH, 21 May 2003 — Spending the summer vacation abroad has been an annual habit for Saudi families for decades.
Of late, they have had to show great flexibility in choosing where to go — when a problem arises with their favorite destination they don’t hesitate to switch to next best alternative.
Last summer, most Saudi tourists had traveled to the Far East and Arab countries for their vacation. This year, early reservations showed a much greater demand for Europe, Arab countries and some new destinations such as the Seychelles and Maldives.
Shafeeq Ibraheem, in charge of tourism at Al-Zouman Travel, the local agent for Air France, Swiss Air, Gulf Air and Euro Rail, told Arab News that there were so far no reservations for any Far Eastern or other Asian destinations.
“This year Asian countries have disappeared from the Saudis’ tourist map. On the other hand, Europe and Arab countries such as Egypt, Morocco, Lebanon, the UAE and Tunisia seem to be the major destinations for Saudi families,” he said.
“There are some totally new destinations such as the Maldives and Seychelles that seem to attract some Saudi families,” Shafeeq added.
Asked what really determined the Saudi families’ choice for their summer vacation, he said: “We are talking about upper middle class families seeking an average of two to three weeks’ vacation. They are looking for a place where it is easy to obtain a visa.
