For the fifth year in a row, Malaysia continues to attract a large number of Saudi tourists, a senior tours and sales executive has said. “For five years in a row Malaysia has topped the countries attracting Saudi summer vacationers. Egypt and the UAE are usually next in popularity,” Mahmud Hamid, a tours and sales executive, told Saudi Gazette. According to tour and travel experts, people choose their destinations depending on the areas they live in. For example, Hamid said, people traveling to Europe are usually from Riyadh and cities in the Eastern Province. “Fifty percent of Saudis from Riyadh prefer to spend their summer vacations in Europe with France being the country they most prefer to visit,” Hamid said. Reisdents from Jeddah, Taif and surrounding areas prefer to go to Malaysia, Singapore and other southeast Asian countries. Travelers late in deciding where they want to go may face booking problems, Hamid warned. Offices of most airlines are crowded these days as the summer holidays are around the corner. Several travelers talked about difficulties in getting confirmed bookings because they were late in deciding upon their itinerary. “People traveling outside must make their bookings at least four to five months in advance in order to avoid last-minute hassles,” Hamid said. Solaf Abdulaziz was very late in deciding to spend her vacation outside the country. She was fortunate, however, to get a booking as a result of a last minute cancelation, but she had to cough up more money. “I made the reservation late and was put on the waiting list. I was desperate, but luckily I got the booking confirmed because of some late cancelations. But I had to pay a little more,” a relieved Solaf said.
