Visitors here are complaining about high prices at hotels restaurants, parks, malls, exhibitions and festivals; and the congestion of the city's roads, especially at night. Many said the tourism program is not clear, and that most summer festivals are linked to commercial and marketing exhibitions and programs for children. A visitor said those in charge of tourism programs “have not prepared well for the event and have not made schedules for people”. The promotion of the festival was bad and all activities are linked to malls. He did not understand why shopping programs are part of some activities. Some people were annoyed by the high hotel prices. “I came from Taif and found that furnished apartments are very crowded and resorts are charging too much. Some charge SR3,500 a night,” one man said. Some people complained about restaurants. A Jeddah resident said he reported a well-known restaurant north of Jeddah to the mayoralty because he found rotten pieces of vegetables in a salad late one night. “I've heard that there are hundreds of summer events in Jeddah this year but I don't know their locations because there are no schedules or any published information.” For domestic tourism to improve it is important to provide this information, said Khaled Al-Malki. Residents complained about the traffic congestion. “Night traffic is painful,” said one resident. They agreed that there are now more visitors in Jeddah than previous years. An estimated 2.5 million people visit Jeddah in the summer holiday including Umrah visitors, according to Mazen Batarjee, Deputy Chairman of the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Visitors say options for people who want to spend some time with the family are limited in Jeddah; this is why malls and restaurants are filled with people. At about 5 P.M. traffic congestion starts at main roads including Palestine Street, Haramain Road and Almadina Road. There is also major gridlock at Al-Tahliya, Sari and Quraish streets in the north, and Wali Alahd and Makkah Road in the south. The Jeddah Traffic Department normally increases formal and undercover patrols during this time. __
