JEDDAH, 30 June 2005 — According to a recent survey, 42 percent of Saudi holiday travelers who leave the Kingdom for holidays stay in the Gulf region. Many more choose other Arab countries as their destination, with Malaysia and East Asia absorbing most of the rest. The attractions of long-haul Western destinations are often tempered for families by considerations of paperwork. While the difficulty of obtaining business or study visas to the US and some European destinations has been lessened, there can still be considerable delays on holiday visas. The cost of visas — often in the hundreds of riyals — when multiplied up to a family of 10 or 15 can remove a significant part of a holiday budget. Almost no Arab country requires entry visas for Saudis.
Some Saudi vacationers prefer a complete contrast in culture and lifestyle. Many, however, want “the same but different.”
Jiraryr Kececian, regional director of sales & marketing — Africa & Middle East, Starwood Hotels and Resorts said that since 2001 intra-regional travel within Africa and Middle East had tended to increase. “There are various reasons for this,” he said. “Long visa applications waits for European destinations, and the appreciation of euro against local currencies made those destinations 25-30 percent more expensive.”
The essentially Muslim culture of the UAE, Oman and other Arab countries is reassuring to many families. Within that, the flexibility and variety of the attractions on offer add spice to the holiday.
“The attraction is that in Arab countries we do not stand out in the crowd,” said Tarqa, a Saudi mother who usually chooses Arab destinations for family holidays. “Dubai has many attractions for my family, but no one takes a second glance at us.” Many of the attractions that Arab holiday destinations offer are simply not available in the Kingdom.
“Very often,” said Tarqa, “individual members of our family choose to do different things during the day. We each have our own interests and we go our own way and enjoy ourselves.”
Despite the recent political activity in Beirut, Lebanon, is showing a substantial increase in Saudi tourism.
A survey of hotels in five popular holiday destinations — Bahrain, Lebanon, Cairo, Oman and Dubai — has shown an average 10 percent rise in bookings from Saudi clients over last year’s figures, according to Kececian.
“Lebanon comes top of the list,” said Kececian. “It has seen a remarkable 100 percent increase in bookings, followed by Bahrain with 30 percent. Dubai reports five percent up from last year while Cairo and Oman indicate no increase.”
The time Saudis spend in their holiday destination varies with the location; four of the five identified by Kececian range between one and two weeks, but Bahrain averages only two or three days.
Dubai’s regular Summer Surprises Shopping Festival is a major attraction for the Saudi traveler. Hotels compete with reduced prices and special offers in an effort to attract the summer business. “Dubai Summer Surprises is a good time to save money on shopping bargains and entertainment,” said Ahmed Baki, area director of Sales & Marketing for Starwood Hotels in the United Arab Emirates.
Despite all the attractions of entertainment and shopping, it seems that the simple things are often what persuade when it comes to a decision on destination. Abu Nada, who usually leaves the Kingdom for much of the summer, said that he found Cairo attractive because it is close and offers 24-hour entertainment. “Day or night, there is something to do,” he said. “And there are no restrictions on families.”
“The new “women-only” beaches in Dubai are a great idea,” said Tarqa. “In the Kingdom, it is very difficult for a family to do something as simple as go to a beach and swim. Even more difficult for a woman.”
