A number of newlyweds here say they spent their honeymoon at hotels and resorts abroad because it was less costly and there were better services and facilities than in the Kingdom. Many said the “greed” of local tourist operators had forced them to book overseas. A minority said that there was not a big difference between the charges of domestic and foreign tourist spots but did agree that countries such as Malaysia and Indonesia have beautiful areas to visit. Bandar Mater Asiri, who married recently, said he traveled to Malaysia for his honeymoon. This was because several friends had advised him to do so. “I spent more than 20 days in Malaysia, stayed at the best hotels, visited the most famous cities and resorts and savored the most delicious international food at a cost of about SR20,000. This amount included the gifts we purchased. Meanwhile, a close friend of mine opted for domestic tourism and spent 52 days in Jeddah, Riyadh, Abha and Dammam for nearly SR22,000. I visited new and faraway places while my friend spent more than I did in cities he had already visited several times,” Asiri said. “The greed of hotel and resort owners is pushing young people across our borders. These businessmen should be satisfied with reasonable profits to encourage domestic tourism,” he added. Ali Asiri, another newlywed, said he regretted spending his honeymoon in the Kingdom during the summer because of the high charges for furnished apartments, hotel rooms, recreation facilities and restaurants. “My intention was to save some money by spending my vacation in the Kingdom. But I was wrong and I was shocked by the high charges. I had to pay SR2,200 for two nights in a luxurious Jeddah hotel. If I had traveled to a country with beautiful scenery, I would have spent five nights there for the same amount.” Several youth have urged officials to intensify their monitoring of charges at hotels and resorts in the Kingdom. __
