DAMMAM — Saudis spend around 35 percent of their budget on entertainment during Eid, Al-Madina newspaper reported. Essa Al-Showqabi, father of two children, said he preferred to send his kids to indoor entertainment rather than outdoor events. "The indoor entertainment is confined to limited space and that makes it easier for me to watch my kids. Moreover, the weather was very hot during Eid and spending the day outdoors was not a good idea. Outdoor activities depend greatly on the weather. If the weather was not a pleasant one, I wouldn't want to waste my time outdoors," said Al-Showqabi. He said a lot of money was spent on the children's entertainment during Eid. "There should be discounts and special offers during Eid to enable all families to participate. The children want to play for three to four hours and that could make a dent in the wallet. I only have two children but others may have three or more," said Al-Showqabi. He added many entertainment cities and establishments increased their prices during high seasons. "They may need to increase the prices to provide better services when the demand is high. But their prices need to be affordable to everyone," said Al-Showqabi. Salim Al-Marzouqi, father of three, said owners of entertainment establishments enjoyed full control over pricing. "They raise the prices on popular rides and they raise the prices in general during festive seasons. They even raise the prices on the weekends. They raise the prices of games by a minimum of SR1. They even raise the prices at their facilities such as restaurants," said Al-Marzouqi. Tariq Al-Azizi is a supervisor of an indoor entertainment establishment in Al-Khobar. "It is hard to please everyone. People want our prices to be very low as they used to be in the past. But that is no longer possible due to the new economic constraints. We have made a small increase in the prices but they are still affordable," said Al-Azizi. He said the average amount parents spend on their children in the establishment is SR225 a day.
