Domestic tourism needs investments
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Domestic tourism is in need of more investments from the private sector especially with several Saudi cities having succeeded in attracting local tourists, Abdullah Salem, the tourism sector manager at Al-Rowabee Center for Economic studies was quoted in Arab News.
“Jeddah and Dammam are the most popular tourist destinations for local visitors. However, these cities need huge investments from the private sector to create more entertainment venues,” he said. He pointed out that the demand on domestic tourism sector had increased by 25% in the last two years leading to a hike in the prices of resorts and entertainment venues in Jeddah and Dammam.
“Fewer than 25% of Saudi businessmen have made investments in the local tourism sector,” Salem said, adding that the ongoing developments in the local infrastructure in the major Saudi cities had played a big role in attracting local tourists.
According to a report by the Tourism Information and Research Center (MAS), there will be a 10% increase this year in incoming tourist flights compared to last summer. It added that about 4.8 million visitors were expected to visit the different cities for tourism. It is estimated that domestic tourism spending this year will reach SAR10.5 billion, 18% more than last year’s SAR8.9 billion. However, the local tourism sector contributes to only 2.6% of the Saudi economy.
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