JEDDAH — The Haj season remains one of the most lucrative seasons for the travel and tourism industry in Saudi Arabia, as recent studies showed that hotel revenues in Makkah have hit SR4 billion in the Haj season alone. Ziyad Bin Mahfouz, President of the Elaf Group of Companies, a leader in Saudi travel, tourism and hospitality, emphasized the importance of capitalizing on the available potential to bolster both the airlines and hotel services segment – particularly to address the needs of tourists making their pilgrimage to Makkah and Madinah. He also reaffirmed the company's continuing commitment toward enhancing its service offerings. Industry experts have reported that local tourism and travel agencies are moving to act under the recent directives of the Saudi Ministry of Haj. Elaf Group has announced a 50 percent increase on incentives and group packages during the beginning of this year in comparison to the same period of last year. Ahmad Al Bayat, general manager of the travel and tourism division, expressed confidence in achieving higher growth by the end of the season. “We remain upbeat in achieving outstanding results during this year's Haj and Ummrah season. In fact, we have prepared ourselves for the increased number of tourists making their pilgrimage this year by providing them with all the services that they will need for their visit. In addition, the growing demand on airline ticket bookings is testament to the comprehensive and excellent services we offer. We will continue to offer the best services and international standards to serve our rapidly growing customer base, particularly the pilgrims making their trips to Makkah and Madinah,” Bin Mahfouz added. Due to its continued efforts to offer high-quality service, the Elaf Group has received an excellence award from Etihad Airlines for agency performance during the year 2012. — SG
