According to sources in the industry, there has been tremendous increase this time in the number of Saudi travelers to European countries, who have made flight and hotel reservations. This was mainly because of the depreciation of euro against Saudi riyal and easing of visa procedures by these countries, according to a report carried by Al-Riyadh daily.
The sources also attributed the trend to the biased attitude of some Arab countries, especially Egypt and Lebanon, toward Saudi vacationers. Meanwhile, Malaysia and Dubai remained the most favored destinations for Saudis.
Nasir Al-Tayyar, chairman of Al-Tayyar Travel and Tourism Group, said depreciation of euro in recent weeks has become a blessing in disguise for the Saudi travel and tourism industry. Moreover, most of the diplomatic missions of European countries in the Kingdom have simplified tourist visa procedures.
“As a result, there has been a substantial increase in the number of Saudis who intend to spend this summer in Europe,” he said while noting that this was not the case over the last two years. “A number of factors, such as the global financial crisis, the swine flu scare and a strict visa regime, were blamed for the slowdown in tourism traffic from the Kingdom to EU states,” he said.
Al-Tayyar also noted that a large number of Saudi families have plans to spend their vacations in the United States. “Most of these are parents of young men and women studying in that country,” he said.
Al-Tayyar criticized the unfair price hike for tourism packages by some Arab countries.
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