Residents are complaining about the madness on the streets and in shopping centers and visitors are complaining about the high prices of rental apartments. Jeddah is known for being a much-desired destination for Saudis who live in other areas of the Kingdom. However, despite Jeddah being crowded almost every day of the week, residents still find it irritating when they want to enjoy a day out or visit friends or family.
Yasmeen Ahmadi, a 28-year-old from Faisaliah district, wanted to go to Rawdah Street to buy something and was stuck in traffic for two hours. “I left home about 7:30 a.m. and returned home at 10:30 and my actual buying took 10 minutes. It usually takes 15 minutes maximum from my home to Rawdah on weekdays,” she said. Al-Ahmadi also said that she was eagerly waiting for the break to end so that everything would return to normal. Majed Al-Sultan, a 29-year-old employee in a private company at Jeddah, said that he was avoiding Tahlia and Andalus Streets nowadays because he knows he will be stuck in traffic for hours.
“Yesterday, I went to pick up my sister from Andalus Street and I took Tahlia Street to Andalus at 11 a.m. I know that Tahlia and Andalus streets are jammed, but we normally manage the traffic even on weekends,” he said. “My little sister is trying to enjoy her time off from school but I told her I won’t drop her off or pick her up during the break unless it’s early,” Al-Sultan said, adding that Jeddah is already a big busy city and the break just causes more chaos.
Raneem Salem, a university graduate, wanted to go to a restaurant with her friends. She normally makes reservations on the same day but this time the restaurant told her she must call two days in advance. “Everywhere is packed and we are not used to making reservations two days in advance. What if we suddenly decide to go out? This means Jeddah residents can’t even enjoy their own vacation in their own city,” she said. At the same time, shopping centers are as crowded as the streets. Residents of the city complain that they can’t even go shopping during the week because everything is too busy.
Ghada Fadl, who is seven months pregnant with her third child is now buying clothes and other items she needs. “I am rushing to get everything I need for the baby now. I was waiting for the holiday but unfortunately, I have ended up wasting so much time in traffic on my way to the mall. I can’t shop in this chaos,” she said.
With the high demand for furnished apartments in Jeddah, prices have increased and, in some cases, doubled. Although people always complain about price hikes, they have no choice but to pay the extra money since they want to spend their time in Jeddah.
Mohammed Al-Otaibi, who lives in a small town with his wife and five children, said that he saves up money just to come to Jeddah for the school spring break. “I’m staying at a furnished apartment in Prince Sultan Street, which is a nice area, and I don’t mind paying the extra money although it’s not fair,” he said. “The apartment we are staying in has four rooms, a kitchen and two bathrooms. I am paying SR550 per night because of the holiday. Normally the apartment rents for SR400 a night,” he said. Al-Otaibi originally wanted to stay for a week but he said he couldn’t afford seven nights. Instead he settled for five days.
According to a local daily, there are more than 3,000 furnished apartments in Jeddah with many of them in central and northern Jeddah. Their prices vary from SR300 to SR800 per day, depending on their facilities.
Noura said that she was paying SR900 per night for a small luxurious apartment near Malik Road. “I enjoy visiting Jeddah for holidays because of the malls and restaurants. I admit its expensive but anywhere in the world, when it’s a holiday, prices go up,” she said. She said maybe it wasn’t fair for low-income people who also want to enjoy themselves in Jeddah.
One businessman said: “This is a season for profit.” He said that he owned a couple of apartment buildings and shops. “I admit I increase the prices of the furnished apartments at certain times but that is the case with everybody.”
