RIYADH, 11 March 2004 — Nearly 200 travel agencies have shut their doors and over 40 expatriate workers were detained as a result of the campaign to enforce Saudization in the business, according to Dr. Nasser Aqeel Abdullah Al-Tayyar, chairman of Al-Tayyar Travel Group, one of the country’s largest travel agencies. Some men are still being held.
Dr. Al-Tayyar told Arab News that travel agents are seeking an urgent meeting with Crown Prince Abdullah, deputy premier and commander of the National Guard, to “break the deadlock” in the situation. Urgent telegrams were also sent yesterday by travel agents in the Riyadh region to Prince Sultan, second deputy premier and minister of defense and aviation, and Interior Minister Prince Naif seeking their immediate assistance, he said.
No orders have been “received so far to stop the raids”, he said. However, Prince Sultan ibn Salman, chief of the Supreme Commission for Tourism, is “working hard to defuse the crisis and solve the problem,” he said.
“We are also seeking to hold talks with other senior officials to ensure the smooth operation of the travel agencies,” said Dr. Al-Tayyar, a member of United Saudi Travel Agents (USTA).
The Council of Saudi Chambers of Commerce & Industry, led by Chairman Abdul Rahman Al-Jeraisy will also raise the issue of travel agencies in the next few days with high-ranking Saudi officials, according to Rashid Al-Mugaid, USTA general manager, who met Al-Jeraisy on Tuesday evening.
Asked as to how the travel agencies can Saudize jobs, Dr. Al-Tayyar said that his company alone had spent “SR8 million training and hiring 600 Saudis, but we failed to retain even one Saudi out of the whole lot.” At the same time, he praised the dedication and skills of foreign workers.
Referring to the eligibility conditions for obtaining a job in the travel business, Dr. Al-Tayyar said that “the government should first understand the complexities of this sector.” He said that the Travel Agent’s Handbook issued by the International Air Transport Association (IATA), of which Saudi Arabia is a member, explains the criteria clearly for those seeking jobs in the travel business. It stipulates that a job seeker, Saudi or non-Saudi, must have at least two years of reservation and ticketing experience within the past four years with an IATA member, a scheduled non-IATA carrier or IATA agent.
“The candidate must have passed an IATA examination in order to be eligible for working in a travel agency,” he explained. “Moreover, it is the duty of the government to train Saudi youngsters,” said Dr. Al-Tayyar. He said that “it is a pity that the government agencies don’t approach travel agencies when formulating Saudization policies.” “All travel agents have paid more than SR100 million to Saudia over the last two years because of the discrepancy in ticketing, in reservation and for mistakes committed by frontline staff,” said Dr. Al-Tayyar, adding that Saudis on the frontline positions do not take responsibility. “Can we deduct their salary for their mistakes?” he asked.
He criticized the fact that “Saudia has also reduced our commission from 12 percent to seven percent on international ticket sales.” He said that Saudia had also decreased commission on domestic tickets from 10 percent to four percent. It was a case of government-owned Saudia targeting local agents to maximize its own profits, he said.
He said that “Saudis don’t like to work” in ticketing. “In such a scenario, how can we set up training facilities and spend money on hiring people, who hardly stay on jobs for a few days or months?”
