Saudi Gazette report RIYADH — Experts in the tourism sector expect a big response from Saudis during the Eid Al-Fitr holidays. With nearly 25 percent of tourists expected to have postponed their summer vacations to combine them with the Eid Al-Fitr holidays, the experts said they expect the volume of spending by Saudi families during the summer this year to reach SR40 billion. Dubai is expected to take the lion's share of Saudi families' tourism money during this period, with demand increasing for vacations in Turkey and Sharm El-Sheikh in Egypt. Director of Al-Sirh Group for Travel and Tourism and a member of the Consultative Committee in the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA) Mehaidib Al-Mehaidib said, “The long Eid Al-Fitr vacation this year is one of the major reasons for the increase in a number of travelers compared to last year." In addition, he said, a wide segment of Saudi nationals were not able to travel during last year's summer vacation for various reasons and preferred to postpone their vacation and combine it with the Eid Al-Fitr holidays. "This helped greatly in the growth of travel during the current vacation,” he told Al-Jazirah Arabic daily. On the most important external tourist destinations preferred by Saudi nationals this year, Al-Mehaidib said, “Dubai is the only Arab destination. It attracted Saudi tourists during the past and it is the main choice this year as well. After Dubai comes Turkey as the most important tourist destination for Eid Al-Fitr holidays as well as Sharm El-Sheikh and Europe, which is the main choice for many travelers.” European destinations chosen by Saudi tourists include Britain, France, Italy and Switzerland. Among the preferred tourist destinations in Southeast Asia were Malaysia, Singapore and the Maldives. Al-Mehaidib said it is Saudi families that prefer to spend their vacation abroad more than individuals and youths, as it is the last vacation before the beginning of the new academic year, which begins immediately after the vacation. On the average number of nights spent by Saudi tourists, Al-Mehaidib said the vacation before the academic year is about 20 days, considering the fact that there are preparations that need to be made before the school year begins. So families have to return sometime before the end of the summer vacation. Al-Mehaidib expects the volume of spending by Saudi tourists during the current summer season to exceed SR40 billion. Estimates indicate that Saudis formed 9 to 11 percent of the total number of tourists in Dubai in 2012. Their combined spending was 30 percent of the total money spent by all tourists, something which shows that Saudi tourists spend three times the average.
