Okaz/Saudi Gazette JEDDAH — More than 223,000 Saudis are expected to visit major tourist destinations around the world during mid-term school vacation, according to Walid Al-Subaie, a member of the travel and tourism committee at Riyadh Chamber of Commerce and Industry. He said Dubai would take the lion's share of Saudi tourists or 57 percent, adding that more than 127,000 Saudis have confirmed booking to visit the emirate. Istanbul represents the second favorable tourist destination for Saudis as nearly 17,000 of them have plans to visit the Turkish city. Cairo is another important destination for Saudi tourists, Al-Subaie said. "According to our information more than 14,000 Saudis have confirmed booking to visit the Egyptian capital." Sharm El-Sheikh, the Red Sea port resort in Egypt, has won fourth place with 12,600 Saudis preparing to visit the city, followed by London 9,000 and Kuala Lumpur 7,000. "The majority of Saudis have decided to visit six major tourist destinations – Dubai, Istanbul, Cairo, Sharm El-Shaikh, London and Kuala Lumpur," Al-Subaie said, adding that many Saudis visit two seasonal tourist centers – Garmisch in Germany and Megeve in Switzerland. "Dubai is the first tourist destination of Saudis because of many incentives such as proximity, catering to the needs of all groups of tourists and providing all types of services to families," Al-Subaie insisted. "Many Saudi families regularly visit Dubai," he added. He noted fluctuation in the number of Saudi tourists visiting Turkey. "Sometimes their number goes up while in some periods of time it dwindles. Four years ago, their number crossed 300,000 but in the following summer it decreased to less than 100,000." Speaking about the growing number of tourists visiting Cairo and Sharm El-Sheikh, he said: "Egypt is a peaceful country and Saudi Arabian Airlines and Egypt Air offer direct flights to the two cities. Egypt also offers tourism services at reasonable rates as part of its strategy to boost tourism." According to Al-Subaie, Kuala Lumpur attracts many Saudis due to its good weather, marvelous tourist attractions and reasonable prices. "A substantial number of Saudis prefer to visit Garmisch and Megeve in the winter. About 6 to 7 percent of Saudi tourists visit London." He dismissed the presence of domestic tourism in the Kingdom. "Thousands of foreigners visit Makkah and Madinah for religious reasons while Saudis visit different regions and cities of the Kingdom to meet their friends and relatives," he pointed out. Talal Al-Muhaideb, director of a tourism agency, said most Saudis visit nearest foreign tourist destinations during winter vacation that does not exceed 10 days. "Most Saudis visit Dubai and Sharm El-Sheikh as well as Southeast Asian countries of Malaysia and Singapore during this period." Abdullah Al-Gharwi, an investor in tourism, emphasized the need to develop the Kingdom's tourism infrastructure to strengthen domestic tourism. "We should know that there are countries that depend only on tourism for revenues," he told Okaz/Saudi Gazette while stressing the private sector's role in improving tourism services across the country. Al-Gharwi said many Saudis and expatriates in different parts of the Kingdom visit Jeddah due to availability of some tourist facilities and services at reasonable charges. "The government should focus on expanding tourism facilities all over the country." Economist Mohammed Hassan Yousuf called upon Saudi businessmen and businesswomen to invest in the tourism sector. "We should have attractive tourism programs to woo foreign tourists."
