“The new practice of passing on rising fuel costs to passengers is the cause of increasing ticket prices. Any traveler who refuses to pay the additional fees, even if his seat is confirmed in advance, will not be issued a boarding pass,” Khaleel Al-Nashami of Kanoo Travel in Dammam told Arab News.
With the hike in fuel fees, which accounts for approximately 20 percent of ticket prices, passengers have to pay 50 percent more than last year to fly.
Al-Nashami added that during the vacation season between June and September, bookings were heavy and ticket prices had a tendency to rise.
He said unlike in the past, very few Saudis wanted to travel to Arab countries because of the political upheavals there.
“The unfavorable conditions in Arab countries have pushed up demand to travel to other countries such as Turkey, Malaysia, India and Sri Lanka. For instance, people who plan to visit Turkish cities are up by 70 percent this year compared to last year.”
According to statistics provided by him, 80,000 Saudis visited Turkey last year and 66,000 in 2009. He said the number of visitors to European cities increased by only 5 to 10 percent.
The travel official believed the unrest in other countries would be a blessing in disguise for Saudi tourism.
“With the new tourism projects, including a large number of festivals organized by the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiques, a large number of Saudis are likely to remain in the country and explore local attractions,” he said.
