Having first class hotel reservations, a confirmed travel itinerary, and detailed arrangements with a travel agency are the three main elements that Saudi tourists require in preparing for their summer vacations. Most Saudi families require all of their travel arrangements to be made by a travel agency before leaving the Kingdom for the summer. This is because of the stories that are told of Saudi tourists facing difficulties when traveling abroad. “Most of our clients are Saudis who prefer to have a complete and confirmed itinerary for their summer vacation to avoid any unpleasant surprises and difficulties that they may encounter when traveling overseas,” said Jwaher Al-Hakami, a travel and tourism consultant at a local travel agency. She added, “Saudis often travel to countries about which they know very little. They usually do not know much about the places they are going to, the tourist sites, where to stay, and even the prices that they should pay. All of which makes it easy for someone to take advantage of them. This is why they choose to have us find an apartment or hotel for them.” In organizing travel plans for families, travel agencies are required to complete the entire travel itinerary, including airline and hotel reservations, two months before the start of the summer vacation. “We have already completed making summer vacation travel itineraries for many Saudi families providing them with all the required information,” said Al-Hakami. Many Saudi tourists approach overseas travel differently than the nationals of other countries and they have more special requirements. “Most of our Saudi clients prefer to book in advance all the services that they think they will require from the time they leave the Kingdom until the minute that they return,” Al-Hakami explained. “Expatriate and foreign tourists come to us for reservations only, but Saudi families prefer to book all the services that they will need. This includes flight and hotel reservations, transportation to and from the airport, transportation in the foreign country, visits to entertainment sites, etc. They also require us to provide them complete information about all of these services,” she said.
