JEDDAH — The choice of travel destinations for Saudis to spend annual vacations and public holidays depends on many factors, including the trip cost, duration of stay and the time of the year. But what is remarkable is only 5 percent of Saudi families like to travel long distances in Europe or Asia during the short breaks despite the multiplicity of events and low prices compared to what is offered locally. Tourism and travel experts noted that Dubai, Turkey and Sharm El-Sheikh were top destinations for Saudi families during the mid-year school break. These countries organize tourist festivals this time of the year to attract Arab and Saudi tourists in particular. In addition to the variety of events and programs, the quality of services offered is excellent, according to many tourists. Asked about the size of household spending on travel during the winter break, member of the Economic Association Essam Khalifa said the tourism industry today is one of the most prominent economic activities in the world. "Many countries depend on the tourism industry as a primary source of national income to improve the balance of payments and to broaden the base of the national economy and the provision of job opportunities," said Khalifa. Despite the fact that there are attractive elements for domestic tourism in Asir, Baha, Jeddah, Taif and other areas of the Kingdom, they still did not meet the aspirations of the Saudi tourist who is well experienced in the selection of tourism programs outside the Kingdom, he said. When the holiday season starts, tens of thousands of Saudis travel abroad and some travel to Makkah and Madinah with the purpose of performing Umrah. Domestic tourism has not been able to attract non-Saudi workers in the Kingdom, as more than 9 million foreign workers spend most of their annual vacations outside the Kingdom. According to the World Tourism Organization statistics, the number of Saudis who leave each year for foreign tourism is about 5 million tourists and they spend more than 30 million nights a year. Their spending on tourism is around SR60 billion annually, while Saudi Arabia receives about 8.5 million visitors from abroad to perform Umrah and Haj. Their total spending is about SR20 billion. Tourist destinations that are appealing to Saudis in Arab countries include Dubai, Egypt, Asia, Malaysia and Indonesia, and European countries including Turkey, France and Britain. As for travel to the United States, the US Department of Commerce reports indicate an increase in the number of Saudi tourists by 25 percent, reaching more than 100,000 tourists in 2014.
