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The onset of the summer holidays has seen an influx of local and Gulf visitors into Jeddah, resulting in almost fully booked hotel rooms, resorts and chalets.

Hussain Al-Ghamdi, a receptionist at a chalet in Obhur in northern Jeddah, said 95 percent of the villas at his establishment were booked a week ahead of the school vacations.

“A considerable number of customers are from cities outside Jeddah such as Riyadh, Abha, Tabuk, Dammam and Arar. Only a few villas are available now for bookings,” Al-Ghamdi said.

Many customers make advance bookings to avoid paying the higher prices charged during the holiday season and Ramadan. A good number are from other Gulf countries such as Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar, who perform Umrah and then spend some time at Jeddah’s resorts, he said.

He said the prices are competitive because the aim is to attract as many customers as possible. However, prices would go up in the run-up to the Eid holidays, the peak of the holiday season for the hospitality sector.

Hotel reservation clerk Abdul Rahman Olaiwah said almost all the rooms in his establishment have been booked. The hotel offered special summer rates. He said more than 60 percent of customers are from outside Jeddah. Jeddah residents also spend their summer break at local resorts to escape city life.

A Madinah resident, Ahmed Fathi, said his family loves to spend their vacation at Jeddah Corniche where the weather is moderate, especially in the evenings, and because it has amusement parks. “The only problem is getting a reservation at a hotel close to the corniche. I often have no option but to book a room in a remote part of the city,” Fathi said.

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