JEDDAH: The head of the National Tourism Committee at the Council of Saudi Chambers, Mohammed Al-Mijal, blamed tourism promotion councils throughout the Kingdom for the lack of attractive programs for Saudis.
“The committee works to put tourism programs in place throughout the Kingdom, but the output by some of these councils is lackadaisical,” he explained. “This is despite the fact that the current turbulence in the region in general has helped boost local tourism.”
He said: “The role of domestic tourism councils is to eliminate red-tape and create a conducive environment to help carry out such promotion programs.”
In response to questions by investors about a decline in the rate of Saudi tourists going abroad during the holiday season, Waleed Al-Subaie, vice chairman of the National Tourism Committee at the Riyadh Chamber of Commerce and Industry (RCCI), said there has been no perceptible decline in the number of travelers going abroad. “Rather, there is an increase from last year of up to 6 percent among Saudis, based on confirmed bookings,” he was quoted as saying in the local media.
Al-Subaie refused to blame local tourism councils for bad programs and instead said that air travel and tourism facilities are not attractive to domestic tourists. “They require significant revamping … It is difficult to find airline reservations throughout the year, not just during holidays,” he said.
He said the cost per person on average package for local tourism, including airfare, hotels, food and other costs, is about SR6,000, noting that “the cost per family in Jeddah for a week-long holiday can be as high as SR20,000, and thus Saudi tourists look for attractive offers to enjoy locations outside of their daily environment, which are often found outside the Kingdom in places like Dubai, Istanbul and Paris.”
“The committee works to put tourism programs in place throughout the Kingdom, but the output by some of these councils is lackadaisical,” he explained. “This is despite the fact that the current turbulence in the region in general has helped boost local tourism.”
He said: “The role of domestic tourism councils is to eliminate red-tape and create a conducive environment to help carry out such promotion programs.”
In response to questions by investors about a decline in the rate of Saudi tourists going abroad during the holiday season, Waleed Al-Subaie, vice chairman of the National Tourism Committee at the Riyadh Chamber of Commerce and Industry (RCCI), said there has been no perceptible decline in the number of travelers going abroad. “Rather, there is an increase from last year of up to 6 percent among Saudis, based on confirmed bookings,” he was quoted as saying in the local media.
Al-Subaie refused to blame local tourism councils for bad programs and instead said that air travel and tourism facilities are not attractive to domestic tourists. “They require significant revamping … It is difficult to find airline reservations throughout the year, not just during holidays,” he said.
He said the cost per person on average package for local tourism, including airfare, hotels, food and other costs, is about SR6,000, noting that “the cost per family in Jeddah for a week-long holiday can be as high as SR20,000, and thus Saudi tourists look for attractive offers to enjoy locations outside of their daily environment, which are often found outside the Kingdom in places like Dubai, Istanbul and Paris.”
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