The spring break is over and the chances that you must have spent the vacations abroad are pretty high. Most of the Saudi nationals and residents usually do.
It is not annoying that Saudis are frequent travelers and they like to roam around the world. The problem is that they usually do nothing new while they travel. Their usual activities include visiting cinemas or shopping malls — not much different from their daily routines while in the Kingdom.
The average day of a typical Saudi family vacationing abroad remains pretty much the same no matter wherever they spend their holidays. It is usually about having lunches, brunches or dinners either at the hotel they stay or at some famous eateries of the visiting city.
Go to any famous monument of a city, either in a neighboring Arab country or in the West, one would find Saudis in and around those places. If in Dubai, they would be somewhere around Burj Khalifa and if in Paris one should go straight to the Eiffel Tower to meet some Saudis. After finishing touring such places, they usually rush to their hotels for a siesta.
The night would usually start by a quick snack in a coffee shop before heading to a shopping area, whether a mall, shopping street or district, it does not matter, but shopping is a cornerstone of any Saudi vacation trip. We just love to buy gifts for family and friends. It has somehow turned into a cultural thing, if one of your family members is on a vacation, you would expect some gift when he or she returns.
It is not surprising to see that Saudis are found to be the world’s biggest spenders when they head abroad leaving behind around SR76 billion every year as reported by the British Daily Mail. The average Saudi family vacation cost around SR25,000.
Having said all of the above, I still won’t dare to say that we have the same level of entrainment facilities and family venues compared to the ones available elsewhere. However, if I have to pinpoint exact reasons for Saudis choosing overseas destinations compared to local ones then I would say organization and good services.
Try to plan any trip in the country and you would definitely end up being frustrated. There are no clear schedules, prices or guidelines.
Spending a week in Jeddah, for example, would almost cost the same as a week in Dubai despite the huge differences in the levels of tourism services between the two cities.
The bottom line is that the Saudi day abroad is strikingly similar to the day they spend in the Kingdom. So what is it exactly that they look for during these expensive trips. This is an important question and Saudi tourism authorities should look into this matter to find an appropriate answer to this question. By understanding the needs of an average Saudi family, the authorities can lure the Saudis to spend the same amount in the Kingdom. In other words, we need to boost domestic tourism in Saudi Arabia.
