JEDDAH, 1 June 2006 — In another move to boost domestic tourism during the summer, the Supreme Commission for Tourism (SCT) has launched a nationwide media campaign targeting specific groups of people. “Saudia...Ahla Saifiya” (Saudi Arabia, Your Best Summer Tourist Destination) is the title of the campaign that aims to encourage people to spend their summer holidays within the Kingdom.
Dr. Fahd ibn Ibrahim Al-Jarboue, assistant deputy secretary-general for marketing in the SCT, said the campaign, which focuses on major tourist attractions in the Kingdom, would run for around 10 weeks targeting people in Riyadh, Jeddah, Makkah, Madinah, the Eastern Province, Taif, Asir, Baha, Hail and Qasim.
“Our goal is to achieve no less than a 7.5 percent increase in domestic flights and to also increase by eight percent flights from other Gulf countries,” the official said. He added that such flights would bring people to Saudi Arabia to visit relatives, for recreation purposes, Umrah and business.
“We hope this campaign will contribute to increasing the number of flights during the weekends and holidays by no less than 40 percent,” said Al-Jarboue as quoted by the Saudi Press Agency.
“This will lead to an increase in tourism spending of targeted people within the Kingdom and will encourage tourist service providers to make attractive offers during the summer,” he said.
While explaining which groups are to be targeted, Al-Jarboue said the campaign would primarily focus on Saudi and Gulf families as well as young men and women and investors and tourism service operators. The campaign includes the publication of advertisements about tourism centers in widely circulated Saudi newspapers.
Advertisements will feature on television and radios to be aired during prime time viewing and listening either before or after the main news bulletins and other popular programs. Advertisements will also be placed on billboards in main streets and at major shopping malls to attract a wide group of people.
The SCT has designed 11 advertisements for the campaign, including billboards on attractions in Riyadh, Jeddah, Makkah, Madinah, Abha, Baha, Taif, Hail and Qasim.
Al-Jarboue also called upon tourism companies and institutions to make excellent offers during the summer season and to coordinate with the organizing committees of regional tourism festivals.
In a previous statement, Prince Sultan ibn Salman, secretary-general of the commission, said the government was considering proposals to reorganize the two-month school holidays in summer.
The SCT intends to attract a considerable portion of money spent by Saudi tourists abroad by boosting domestic tourism. The prince called for greater participation of Saudi citizens in order to promote Saudi Arabia as an attractive tourist destination.
The SCT has decided to issue tourist visas through licensed tour operators as part of its efforts to attract 1.5 million tourists a year by 2020, excluding the millions who come on Haj and Umrah pilgrimages. Presently there are 18 licensed tour operators bringing foreigners on tourist visas to the country.
