Saleh Al-Shihi

Al-Watan

No one can deny that Saudi nationals are an important factor in the Gulf and Arab tourism equation. Saudis are people who love to travel frequently for fun and leisure.



Two days ago, I posted a hashtag on Twitter under the title “#What-if-Saudis-stop-traveling”. I was looking for answers to questions like:  Is the Saudi national aware of  his capabilities? Is he confident of his capability to make a difference and change the tourism equation?  Many people agreed with me that if they refrained from traveling to some Gulf and Arab cities it would cause these places a severe blow.



The city most offered as an example in the hashtag was Dubai. If Saudi nationals stopped traveling to Dubai, tourism would decline there. Saudis as residents and tourists make a big difference in Dubai. The same applies to many Gulf and Arab capitals and cities foremost of which are Cairo and Beirut. In Bahrain last year, Saudi nationals accounted for half of all tourists. It is no secret that a number of Arab tourism commissions are now targeting Saudis tourists through television ads, encouraging them to travel to their countries.



We have a huge human reserve that is capable of making a developmental difference in the tourism resources of many Arab countries. We realize this, but others have to realize this as well. They should not ignore the important role of the Saudi tourist, who injects hundreds of millions of dollars every year in their state budgets. We do not want the Saudi tourist to be the one who is cheated and disparaged!