JEDDAH, 26 June 2005 — Most Saudi tourists do not plan for their vacations; they travel with their families and prefer to use cash rather than credit cards. These are some of the findings of a survey of 400 Saudis conducted by Al-Eqtisadiah, a sister publication of Arab News.
The concept of planning ahead and traveling in groups is still new to most Saudis and this not only limits their options but also affects costs as they become ineligible for special discounts.
Paying with a credit card is something that Saudis in general are not accustomed to; more than half of those surveyed said they preferred to pay cash for their tickets and other travel expenses. Ninety percent of Saudis buy the currency of the country they are visiting before they leave. Buying coupons for restaurants and tours are also things that most Saudis do not do; they do, however, buy hotel packages.
Krish Kumar, tour supervisor at Al-Tayyar Travel, said most Saudis still did not think it important to make advance travel arrangements because “they think they can get the seats they want at any time”.
This year is better compared to last year in terms of advance bookings. Still, only 20 percent are aware of the need to plan early and make their bookings early, he explained.
As for traveling in groups, he said most Saudi families are big — some numbering up to 15 — and might be considered a group. “More are becoming aware of tour packages because of the discounts offered and the convenience in getting accommodations, transport and tours pre-arranged,” said Krish.
Travel agents continue to play a major role in influencing Saudis in choosing vacation types and destinations but more than 40 percent of those surveyed do not use a travel agent and so do not benefit from the agents’ services and expertise. More than 66 percent of those surveyed believe that travel agents do not provide good travel programs and accurate information. Only 22.5 percent rely on travel agents for information on the country they are visiting; yet travel agents are their main source of information, followed by family members, the Internet and newspapers.
“Around 60 percent of customers do not know where they want to travel and ask us about different destinations and prices,” commented Krish. “The Internet is playing a vital role in informing people and this is helping us too, but customers continue to rely on the travel agent for many things such as car rental, travel insurance and visas,” he said.
This year 22 European Union countries have made a comprehensive insurance policy mandatory for Saudis to obtain a visa. The insurance must also cover medical treatment and any other losses incurred as a result of accidents. The price of the policy varies depending on the duration of the stay.
As for the top destinations this year, it seems that many are staying in the region. More than 42 percent picked the Gulf, specifically Bahrain and Dubai. East Asia came second followed by Arab and Asian countries and then North Africa. Europe and North America have dropped but in some good news for the Supreme Commission for Tourism, the survey found a slight increase in the number of Saudis spending their vacations in the Kingdom.
Krish finds that Arab destinations such as Cairo, Dubai and Lebanon are popular all year round, Malaysia continues to be a popular choice and Australia is in increasing demand. “Europe is picking up this year but the season has just started and we are expecting more demand. As for the US, this year is better compared to last year but it is still much less than a few years ago,” he said.
Summer is here and Saudis want to escape the heat and humidity. “This is the busiest time for us because everyone wants to leave in July and August,” said Krish.
According to the survey, most Saudis have a vacation of a month or more and spend an average of SR10,000 depending on the length of the holiday and the destination. More than half those surveyed rely on their personal savings to pay for vacations but there are some who borrow from friends and banks or pay with credit cards.
