High charges wean local tourists away from region

JEDDAH — Local Gulf residents are choosing to spend their holiday abroad rather than in the region as in comparison they are bound to shell out more money in the Kingdom and elsewhere in the Gulf. "I wanted to travel to Taif, but due to the high charges I decided to travel to Jordan instead. You can get the most luxurious hotels for eight nights for the price of two nights in Taif," Kuwaiti Hamoud Mohammed Al-Bagaili wrote on Twitter. Many escape the region in search of foreign destinations with lower charges. A solution to the crisis is nowhere in sight with costs of internal tourism continuing to rise. Funding constraints also prevent the entry of new investors who could increase tourism offerings and lower the charges. A travel agency executive director, Khalid Bawazir, said that the Kingdom’s tourism sector was still dependent on the summer season and therefore a majority of investors are forced to increase their charges to exaggerated levels to compensate for the slump in most months of the year. He said the approach didn’t make business sense, and that providers should offer discounts and sales throughout the year, not only for a limited period. He said that despite repeated calls to establish a tourism development fund, there were still many obstacles. Tourism investor, Abdullah Al-Rajhi, said neighboring Gulf states had seen substantial success with tourism thanks to competitive charges and the incentive provided by various departments. He said the benefits were not limited to higher revenue for the countries, but had stimulated their economies and seen the recovery of more than 70 industries linked to tourism.