Charles Bowden, an American non-fiction author, journalist and essayist said: "Summer time is always the best of what might be."

So is the situation in the Kingdom with the start of the summer vacation with citizens and residents planning their annual holiday either inside or outside the Kingdom.

The promotional campaigns of the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA) have encouraged a large number of citizens to travel within the Kingdom with their families.

In the sector of domestic tourism, besides Saudi nationals visiting Riyadh, Dammam and Jeddah, a sizable number of expatriates and citizens visit the holy cities of Makkah and Madinah.

Every year, a large section of the local population visits various global destinations during summer.

A recent survey carried out by Visa ranked Saudi nationals as the world’s biggest spenders abroad, with travelers budgeting an average of $ 6,666 per trip.

It was pointed out that tourists and other travelers from the Kingdom are spending almost three times the global average of $ 2,390 when abroad.

Another study revealed that Saudi families spent SR 7 billion on tourism abroad during last year's summer, an increase of 28 percent compared to the previous year.

According to a local travel agent based in Riyadh, this year Turkey has become the No. 1 destination for Saudi tourists followed by Malaysia, which is also a popular tourist attraction for the locals.

Then comes other countries such as India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Singapore, Maldives, GCC, the US and the UK.

Turkey aims to double the number of Saudi tourists to 400,000 by the end of this year. The country attracted 120,000 Saudi tourists in 2011 and 200,000 in 2012, and hopes to double that number this year.

Malaysian Ambassador Professor Syed Omar Mohamad Saggaff told Arab News that his country is a favorite destination for Saudi nationals because it has all the potentials to attract Saudi families.

"We have everything that an average Saudi looks for his family holiday," the envoy said, adding more than 100,000 Saudi tourists visited Malaysia last year.

He anticipated a 10 percent increase in the number of Saudi tourists this year.

Besides the Saudi nationals, around 7,000 expatriates from the Kingdom also visit Kuala Lumpur.

These expatriates mainly come from countries such as India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

In preparation for summer holidays, Riyadh-based Unique Choice conducted its 17th consecutive GCC road show in May throughout the Kingdom.

It is a global travel network employing professionals throughout the region.

The road shows were conducted in Dammam, Riyadh and Jeddah.

More than 20 participants around the globe, especially from the UK, Malaysia, Indonesia, Maldives, Sri Lanka, Oman and the UAE took part in the show.

Hundreds of local travel agents took part in the event.

Zawfir Ziard, CEO of Unique Choice, said the road show was an annual event where buyers and sellers meet to exchange their products and services.

Representatives from leading hotels throughout the globe came here to present their products at competitive rates.

To attract Saudi tourists to experience India’s luxury destinations, the Indian Embassy in Riyadh, in cooperation with the Indian Tourism Office hosted the India Tourism Road Show 2013 in the capital.

The event held in Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam, focused on the various tourism destinations that span across the South Asian nation targeting high income Saudi tourists.

Hamid Ali Rao, ambassador of India, said India hosts the Taj Mahal, one of the seven wonders of the world, along with 28 other UNESCO certified world heritage sites that have existed throughout many civilizations.

He described India as a natural bouquet where every region has its own colors, fragrance and beauty to cherish .

In 2011, Saudi nationals numbering 26,000 visited India, registering a growth of 12 percent over 2010.

Almost 14 percent of India’s 1.24 billion citizens are Muslims, with a 10-year growth rate of 36 percent.

Indonesia expects the number of Saudi tourists to the country to exceed 80,000 this year following a spate of promotional activities undertaken by the Indonesian embassy to attract more Saudis.

Around 49,000 Saudi nationals visited Indonesia in 2008, about 57,000 in 2009 and 70,000 in 2010.

Indonesia has many natural tourist attractions as the world's largest archipelagic country with more than 17,508 islands.

It is a land of mountains — particularly volcanoes, dense forests, attractive beaches, spectacular natural beauty, which draws the attention of tourists throughout the year.

The rich culture and tradition of this country attracts the foreigners who are keen to experience the culture of Asia, said an embassy official. Being a Muslim country, Indonesia has its own advantages to attract Saudi nationals.

The attractive tourist spots in the country include the National Monument towers, Merdeka Square, Central Museum, Istiqlal Mosque in Jakarta and other spots in Sumatra, Bali, Sulawesi, Lombok and Banda Islands.

According to SCTA, tourists from Saudi Arabia made 1.26 million overnight trips to other countries in April 2012, compared to 1.54 million in March 2012, recording a decrease of 18.3 percent in a month while compared to April 2011, the number of tourists surged by 11.7 percent in 12 months.

In April 2012, about 63.5 percent of the total number of tourists went for leisure purpose; 19.5 percent for other purpose, including medical, education and training; 13.1 percent for VFR (visiting friends and relatives); and 3.9 percent for business purposes.

Some 61 percent of the tourists travelled by air while the rest of the 39 percent by road.

The highest proportion of tourists, 76.5 percent stayed in hotels/resorts and 1.2 percent each stayed in private and Other types of accommodation.

The largest proportion of the tourists, 36.9 percent, visited the GCC countries; 24.6 percent visited other Middle East countries; 21.2 percent visited South Asia while 17.4 percent visited other countries.