Parents in the Kingdom, in search of ways to spend time with their children during the summer holidays, say they are frustrated at the lack of activities.

“My children have only been out of school for two weeks and I am already fed up as they keep telling me they are bored. But there are no new activities in Jeddah to occupy their time,” Samar, a mother of three, told Arab News.

She said she recently bought a video game system for them to play, but would like to see more activities for children. “There is just so many times that one can go to the beach in the summertime heat or to the shopping malls,” she said.

Another parent said he would like to take his children to the amusement parks, but is afraid to do so because of the many reported accidents at Jeddah carnivals over the last few years.

“I heard of one young boy getting electrocuted at one of the parks, and of other injuries, and do not want my kids riding these attractions because they are unsafe,” Mohammed Ba-Isa, a father of four, said, adding that he doesn’t know what people who can’t afford to travel abroad do.

Despite these concerns, each year Jeddah holds a summer festival named “Jeddah Ghair” to keep residents and tourists busy with fun summer activities. The Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JCCI), which organizes the annual event, said in a recent statement that they expect two million visitors this year. The festival opened on June 5 for 31 days and is expected to host 100 different activities in 15 different locations across the city. These activities include a contest in which the grand prize is a residential villa. Other prizes include cars and cash.

In addition, fireworks displays light up the sky on weekends. According to data from the JCCI, tourism accounts for 5.5 percent of the city’s income.