The influx of tourists to Jeddah has increased by 70 percent with the festivals and activities drawing huge crowds to the historical city. Hotels and furnished apartments have also recorded an increase of 75 percent as tourists take advantage of online bookings to rent accommodations in advance.

Tourist spending has also risen by 50 percent with restaurants and fast food capturing the most sales and high quality restaurants registering a 45 percent increase.

Hamad Al-Bishri, member of the tourist committee in the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry said: “The ongoing events and attractions in Jeddah have registered a 70 percent increase in the number of tourists.” He added that travel agencies should increase their offers to meet the demand by tourists, noting that the volume of tourist spending during holidays increases by 50 percent.

Jeddah is the most preferred tourist destination due to its fine weather, said Mishal Al-Nafe’, executive director for Al-Nafe consultations. He attributed the high occupancy rates in hotels to the affordable packages and the reasonable prices, stressing that the price regulations were under the supervision of the Saudi Commission for Travel and Antiquities.

“Some hotels deal directly with their clients through their websites which saves 15 percent of the commission and creates more customer loyalty,” he said. This year, the total volume of spending on hotel accommodation is expected to reach SR15 million.

Director General of the SCTA in Makkah, Mohammad Al-Omari, said that the availability of tourist services in Jeddah including shopping and entertainment in addition to the Jeddah historical festival has led to the increase in tourist movement to the city by 20 percent.

He stated that the number of licensed hotels under the SCTA was 113 with 12,000 rooms; furnished units stood at 434 with more than 10,000 apartments; the number of travel agent offices reached 387 with 100 tour operating office and there were more than 49 tourist guides.

Al-Omari said that internal tourism is a comprehensive project between various bodies and sectors. “The commission is trying to find suitable and attractive environments for these projects with multiple services to guarantee their growth and continuity.

With the increased potential for the tourist sector in the Kingdom, the commission has decided to establish a tourist investment and service sector to communicate with investors. To achieve this end, the commission is providing information about tourist investment, offering investment incentives and removing obstacles that might stand in its way.

The commission has also signed agreements and cooperation memos with the Credit Bank, the Centennial Fund, the Human Resource Development Fund, the Saudi Council of Chamber and a number of local banks.

Al-Omari said that it was important to focus on factors which contribute to tourism growth such as prices, infrastructure, high seasons, tourism projects, transport and power.

Referring to the regulated tourism market this holiday season, he noted that the commission had organized a number of inspection campaigns on tourist establishments last year. “The total number of violations in Jeddah’s tourist facilities reached 309, some 94 facilities were issued warnings and there were 156 notices related to lack of municipal or civil defense licenses,” he said.

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