Jeddah has become a favorite destination of thousands of Saudi families who for one reason or another have decided not to go abroad during the summer vacation. This has greatly increased the demand for hotels, furnished apartments and villas in the city. The Jeddah Ghair Festival which began earlier this month is also an important factor in the increased demand for accommodation in the city. The 37-day festival, with over 250 cultural and entertainment activities at different locations and malls around the city, is targeting about 3.5 million tourists. The officials concerned at the Jeddah Chamber for Commerce and Industry are strictly monitoring the rates charged by hotels and furnished apartments and ensuring better services for tourists. Dr. Mohammed Abdul Qader Al-Fadel, JCCI chief, on Monday said that there are 3,600 rooms available in Jeddah's hotels. It goes to prove that the hotel industry is the only sector not affected by the worldwide recession, he said. He added that room rates in the city's hotels have increased almost 73 percent since 2003. Jeddah Gahir has encouraged investors to increase their investment in the hotel sector as well as in furnished apartments. “The increase in the rates charged for furnished apartments is seasonal,” Al-Fadel added. He stressed that summer festivals in Jeddah play a major role in supporting the national economy and particularly the hotel sector which is regarded as one of the biggest businesses in the Kingdom. “It is a question of supply and demand as far as hotels and furnished apartments are concerned, especially during the summer and Eid holidays. Moreover, the room rates are very reasonable and affordable for most people and not as high as some reports have said,” Al-Fadel categorically said. The Executive Manager for tourism and events management at JCCI confirmed that with the beginning of the Jeddah Ghair Festival, the demand for hotel rooms and furnished apartments has increased tremendously. Saudi Gazette visited some furnished apartments to determine their capacity and the services they provide. “As soon as summer vacations begin we start preparation for the busy season. The number of tourists increases dramatically which makes it difficult for us to provide them with the best service,” said Arafat Mohammed, a furnished apartment employee. The other problem, another employee at a hotel said, was that people come to the city without reserving their hotel rooms. “We receive calls from Riyadh, Dammam, and even Taif asking us for vacant rooms. But some people simply walk in without reservations and expect to find a room,” said Abdullah Al-Harbi, a receptionist at a hotel in Al
