ALKHOBAR, 5 June 2005 — With less than two weeks to go till the start of the summer vacation season, the offices of travel agents are packed and a mass exodus from the Kingdom is about to begin. This year the academic calendar was uninterrupted. Thus for most families, the 10 weeks from June 15 represent the window of opportunity for a trip abroad.
Of 21 students from the Dhahran British Grammar School touring Le Gulf Meridien Hotel on Wednesday, 20 said they would be going away for the summer. Destinations included England, Australia, Thailand, Malaysia, Spain, the Caribbean, the US and Lebanon. Left behind to spend the school break in Saudi Arabia is Year 9 student, Megan Pillay. Megan and her family have lived in South Africa, Dubai, Riyadh and now are based in Alkhobar.
“This is a great place for little kids,” said Megan, “but it can be dull for older kids like me. It’s not bad though and I’ve gotten used to the quietness. Once in a while we go over to Bahrain and that is nice for a change. We live on a compound so there is a pool and most of my friends will come and go over the summer. Of course there’s always the Internet, too. When we lived in Dubai there were more things to do and I think Saudi Arabia should create some of those amusements here. They should have water sports and better recreation centers.”
The Eastern Province is unusual in the summer in that many of its residents leave to go to other Saudi cities or abroad, but Alkhobar and Dammam are still full of life. Thousands of Saudi professionals who work for SABIC or Saudi Aramco hail from other parts of the Kingdom. Immediately after the final exams finish those families begin a tour of the Arabian Peninsula, spending months visiting relatives in Jeddah, Makkah, Riyadh and many smaller towns. Soon after the province’s residents depart, the tourists move in. Hotels and furnished apartments become packed with guests from Riyadh, in particular, and on the weekends families from Al-Hassa and surrounding villages come for a bit of “high life.”
In accordance with its intention to help meet the goals of the Supreme Commission for Tourism (SCT), Le Gulf Meridien Hotel has launched a program to promote the Eastern Province as a tourist destination for both Saudis and GCC nationals. The hotel participated in the recent Arabian Travel Market in Dubai where they introduced new lodging packages that combine business and leisure. Le Meridien Villas are generally fully booked during the summer months by families, many of whom come from Kuwait and Qatar for the wedding season. The concierge at the hotel has also created a comprehensive list of all possible amusements in the region and facilitates hotel guests in spending their time happily.
“We have appointed a director of sales in Riyadh and a sales manager in Jeddah at Le Meridien’s offices to help our hotel secure permanent exposure in both these important feeder markets,” said Muhammad Osman, director of sales and marketing at Le Gulf Meridien. “With assistance from staff at other Le Meridien properties, our sales team is also currently conducting road shows in the GCC countries to promote our hotel as a nice weekend destination.”
With good infrastructure, a proximity to other Gulf countries and a relaxed, secure environment, the Eastern Province is quickly developing projects to attract tourists. The May 2005 issue of Saudi Commerce and Economic Review highlighted “Breakthroughs in Tourism Infrastructure,” providing some useful statistics and updates in the sector. The magazine stated that according to unofficial estimates, in the Kingdom’s main cities of Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam, there are in total 212 travel agencies, 111 cargo agencies, 67 airline offices and 178 hotels. The number of summer festivals in Saudi Arabia went from 12 in 2003 to 22 in 2004.
“Local tourism trips reached 33.8 million accounting for a total of 207.5 million nights spent in accommodation and an expenditure of SR34.6 billion,” wrote the magazine’s editor Dr. P.K. Pillai in the feature. “Inbound tourism to the Kingdom reached 7.9 million trips, accounting for 99.3 million nights and a total expenditure of SR21.3 billion.”
In a exclusive interview with Saudi Commerce, the chairman of the Eastern Province Chamber of Commerce & Industry’s Tourism Committee, Khaled Al-Nassar, disclosed that the Eastern Province will soon have a new organization, the Provincial Tourism Office (PTO). The PTO will work as an affiliate of the SCT and help enable investors interested in developing tourism projects in the region.
One of the projects of great interest to the PTO, according to Al-Nassar, is the development of the historic port of Al-Uqair near Hofuf. Even in pre-Islamic times Al-Uqair was an important trading city in the region. Its role continued for hundreds of years. While trade now bypasses the city, its past glory can still be seen in the old government buildings constructed during the early days of King Abdul Aziz’s reign.
“The plan for developing Al-Uqair includes rehabilitating several places of archaeological interest, developing the marina, reviving the existing park, organizing desert camps and safari centers and setting up new hotels,” explained Al-Nassar.
Tourism is now a major focus of businesses in the Eastern Province. Projects continue for the enhancement of the waterfront in Dammam and Alkhobar, plus the Half Moon area. There are also moves for the development of the Jana Island Resort and new opportunities are being explored for Tarut Island and Al-Hassa. In the same issue of Saudi Commerce, an article by Shamsul Huda claims that thus far the Dammam municipality has spent about SR50 million on the development of the seafront bordering Dammam, Alkhobar and Qatif. A plan for improvement of another 30 km of seafront from Qatif to Anak, Saihat and Tarut has been approved.
Other major tourism projects mentioned in Saudi Commerce are five new luxury hotels, including the SR174 million, 13-story Alkhobar Movenpick owned by Sheikh Mansur ibn Manea Jumah, expected to be completed in February 2007. It is also anticipated that construction will begin soon on the Katkout Tourism Investment Company’s tourist resort in Al-Hassa. The SR200 million project will be built over two years on a area of 141,000 sq. meters.
