Exorbitant prices have thwarted the efforts by city officials to focus on domestic tourism by holding annual festivals to attract visitors. During the summer, thousands of families are compelled to pay high prices for hotels and furnished apartments, prices which are often higher than in foreign countries. Many agree that domestic tourism is unjustifiably expensive as prices of services and accommodation skyrocket in the absence of any monitoring. The Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA) recently reclassified rates for hotel rooms and furnished apartments adding regulations to monitor compliance and prevent price gouging which results in a big dent in a family's budget. Abdullah Al-Ghamdi and Ali Al-Zahrani complained about the skyrocketing prices saying that spending their vacation outside the Kingdom would cost them far less money. Accommodation would cost an average Saudi family SR2000 per night, they both said, and called upon SCTA to develop the tourist sites in Makkah, Madinah, Al-Ola and Riyadh which are not easily accessible. “Many sites and places still haven't applied safety measures,” said Al-Ghamdi, according to a report in Al-Madinah newspaper. Reservation problems Mahdeeb Al-Mehaidib, member of the tourism committee at the Riyadh Chamber of Commerce and Industry, believes that the main problems in the tourism sector are due to the lack of proper planning on the part of families. He called upon tourists and visitors to plan ahead for their vacation to find good deals on accommodation and air tickets. He pointed out that the demand for local tourism has increased over the past three years, thanks to the efforts of the commission. Programs for families Many families prefer to spend their vacations abroad because they cannot find high standard services here or programs for all the members of the family, said Dr. Abdul Al-Enad, member of the Shoura Council. He called for drawing families to local tourism by offering competitive and attractive prices for accommodation and air tickets. “This is a good time for local service providers to promote their services as the school vacation for this year coincides with the holy month of Ramadan,” he added. Khalid Deghaim, an analyst in the tourism sector, added that Dubai has become the number one destination for tourists followed by Malaysia, London, Istanbul and eastern Europe. Dr. Sultan Al-Ruwaithi, tourism professor, believes the solution to the high ticket prices lies in adopting an ‘open skies' policy and allowing other GCC airliners to provide domestic services.
