DAMMAM, 24 August 2003 — The Summer Festival in the Eastern Province has ended but tourists are still pouring in, and Eastern Province Tourism Department officials say the trend will continue for several more days. With three weeks left before schools reopen here, holidaymakers will continue coming, they say.
The huge number of tourists has made owners of furnished apartments very happy as after a long dry spell they are doing brisk business. Just before the summer vacation, a one-room accommodation in a moderate furnished apartment could easily be rented for SR300 per day. But now similar accommodation will go for at least SR500. Five-star hotels are also reporting brisk business and many of them report nearly 70 percent occupancy.
Despite extremely humid conditions, people from Riyadh and Al-Qassim are putting up at Half Moon Beach. Affluent tourists have set up tents at the seaside fitted with air-conditioners and generators.
The Eastern Province attracts large numbers of domestic tourists for its clean beaches, green areas, shopping malls and above all its peaceful environment. Festival or no festival, people from adjoining areas prefer to spend their vacations in the region.
After the beaches, the amusement parks and shopping malls are big draws for tourists. Alrashid Mall, Alkhobar Mall and Waha Mall are prime attractions. All these malls have special offers for summer visitors.
In addition to people from surrounding Saudi cities, there are many visitors from Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar and even the UAE.
“I love the serene atmosphere here,” said Abdullah from Dubai. “It’s so crowded in Dubai. So many visitors from across the world are there that we are lost. So we come here to relax and enjoy our vacation,” he said.
