30 January 2011
JEDDAH: Jeddah has lost SR250 million over the mid-year break because of the rain, according to experts and investors in the tourism sector. This would have been the income from accommodation and spending by over 300,000 visitors to the coastal city.
The city has many infrastructure problems despite billions of Saudi riyals being allocated for development, they said.
They said that these visitors would have come from different regions and divided their vacation time between Jeddah, Makkah and Madina.
Their program in Jeddah would have focused on enjoying the spring weather before the humid summer weather.
They pointed out that visitors are attracted to the city by the quality and wide variety of goods offered for sale.
Khaled Bawazir, a tourism expert, said there was a drop in reservations at Jeddah's hotels and furnished apartments ranging between 40 and 60 percent compared to the same period last season. He pointed out that the floods have paralyzed the city and many people have traveled to other destinations.
Bawazir criticized the poor storm water drainage network in Jeddah, which has turned the streets into lakes of water.
He pointed out that according to Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, Emir of Makkah, the network covers a mere 10 percent of the city's total area.
He said indications for the 2011 tourism season are not encouraging because of the dramatic climatic changes in the region, which includes high temperatures and humidity, similar to those experienced in Jeddah last summer.
He said the poor infrastructure has affected tourism, pointing out the potholes, bumpy roads and 24-hour traffic jams on most of the streets of Jeddah. This situation was resulting in tourists not coming to Jeddah during the summer season.
Weak sales
Khaled Al-Abboud, a member of the Tourism Committee at the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said the rains have affected the sales volume by 40 percent, coming at a time when a number of discounts are being advertised by many shops before the start of the mid-year vacation.
He said Jeddah used to see the arrival of thousands of visitors during the mid-year vacation, of up to 300,000 people from various regions. They would spend over SR250 million.
He stressed that there will not be any successful tourism seasons without a comprehensive overhaul of infrastructure, especially if there is going to be an extension to the holiday season to compensate for losses at other times of the year.
Ahmad Bin Ali Al-Shihaib, Director of Quays for Al-Ahlam Tourism Group, said the rains this year have worsened the losses for investors.
The situation was serious because the peak period is only 50 to 60 days for the whole year.
He called for collective effort to find innovative solutions for the infrastructure problems in Jeddah.
Al-Shihaib said tourism can only be revived in Jeddah with a combination of measures, including a revision of accommodation charges, provision of attractive tourism services and tackling of bureaucracy and red tape.
JEDDAH: Jeddah has lost SR250 million over the mid-year break because of the rain, according to experts and investors in the tourism sector. This would have been the income from accommodation and spending by over 300,000 visitors to the coastal city.
The city has many infrastructure problems despite billions of Saudi riyals being allocated for development, they said.
They said that these visitors would have come from different regions and divided their vacation time between Jeddah, Makkah and Madina.
Their program in Jeddah would have focused on enjoying the spring weather before the humid summer weather.
They pointed out that visitors are attracted to the city by the quality and wide variety of goods offered for sale.
Khaled Bawazir, a tourism expert, said there was a drop in reservations at Jeddah's hotels and furnished apartments ranging between 40 and 60 percent compared to the same period last season. He pointed out that the floods have paralyzed the city and many people have traveled to other destinations.
Bawazir criticized the poor storm water drainage network in Jeddah, which has turned the streets into lakes of water.
He pointed out that according to Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, Emir of Makkah, the network covers a mere 10 percent of the city's total area.
He said indications for the 2011 tourism season are not encouraging because of the dramatic climatic changes in the region, which includes high temperatures and humidity, similar to those experienced in Jeddah last summer.
He said the poor infrastructure has affected tourism, pointing out the potholes, bumpy roads and 24-hour traffic jams on most of the streets of Jeddah. This situation was resulting in tourists not coming to Jeddah during the summer season.
Weak sales
Khaled Al-Abboud, a member of the Tourism Committee at the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said the rains have affected the sales volume by 40 percent, coming at a time when a number of discounts are being advertised by many shops before the start of the mid-year vacation.
He said Jeddah used to see the arrival of thousands of visitors during the mid-year vacation, of up to 300,000 people from various regions. They would spend over SR250 million.
He stressed that there will not be any successful tourism seasons without a comprehensive overhaul of infrastructure, especially if there is going to be an extension to the holiday season to compensate for losses at other times of the year.
Ahmad Bin Ali Al-Shihaib, Director of Quays for Al-Ahlam Tourism Group, said the rains this year have worsened the losses for investors.
The situation was serious because the peak period is only 50 to 60 days for the whole year.
He called for collective effort to find innovative solutions for the infrastructure problems in Jeddah.
Al-Shihaib said tourism can only be revived in Jeddah with a combination of measures, including a revision of accommodation charges, provision of attractive tourism services and tackling of bureaucracy and red tape.
© The Saudi Gazette 2011
