JEDDAH: Charges for furnished apartments here have risen by about 35 percent since the start of the summer season. A tour by Okaz/Saudi Gazette showed that average charges begin at SR350 for a two-room apartment in the area between Palestine Street in the south and Sari Street in the north, which cost SR250 before the vacation season. Charges increase with traveling westward and have reached SR450 in the area overlooking or near the Corniche; this area, considered the golden zone, is witnessing a high demand and density of tourists. Mahmood Ashour Al-Koumi, in-charge of reservations in a complex of furnished apartments, expects the coming week, the start of school vacations, to witness a further rise in occupancy, to 100 percent, despite the fact that vacations for most students started about two weeks ago. He said the current occupancy rate is between 80 and 90 percent. Charges are monitored by the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA), Al-Koumi said, and depend on the location, the facility's cleanliness and the quality of services provided. He said the SCTA lets them raise charges by 75 percent during the peak season. Muhammad Abdul Aati, in-charge of reservations in another complex of furnished apartments, said the charges are reasonable and affordable, especially since they have been set by the SCTA. Muhammad Abed, another man who is in charge of renting furnished rooms, said charges in locations near activity venues, between SR300 and SR500 per night, are suitable for everyone. Compared to other cities, vacation rentals in Jeddah are the lowest, said Abed, who stressed that we do not hear about charges reaching several thousand riyals in the Bride of the Red Sea.
