Some 4.5 million domestic tourists are expected to arrive in Jeddah to spend their summer holiday, an official at Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA) anticipated. In preparation to host this big number of vacationers, touristic sites in the Bride of the Red Sea have made everything available for its guests. Mohammed Al-Amri, executive director of SCTA in the Makkah Region, said the last few days have witnessed an increasing tourism activities along the city's Corniche area. “Some 90 percent of Jeddah's hotels and furnished apartments have been occupied. This ensures that families from the central, eastern and southern regions have chosen Jeddah as their touristic destination,” Al-Amri said. Al-Amri added that data have shown that Makkah Region remains the first choice for Saudi tourists wanting to spend their holidays. “Visitors to the Makkah Region can closely sense the region's unique diversity of spiritual sites, historic sites, crafts, museums, nature, arts and industries, the thing which makes Jeddah a successful choice not only for Saudi families, but also for the friendly and brotherly foreigners living among us,” he said. Al-Amri pointed out that the last season saw a 10-percent rise in the number of visitors compared with 2009. “Jeddah received some 3.8 million visitors in 2010. They came from 35 cities of the Kingdom,” he said. Al-Amri added that 89 percent of the visitors in 2010 were happy with the tourism programs provided for them. “We have conducted surveys and found out that only 8 percent of the 3.8 million visitors were not sure whether they could show up again,” he said. Al-Amri said 35 percent of the 2010 visitors evaluated the tourism programs as “excellent” while 36 percent thought the services and programs were “very good” and 23 percent ranked the services as “good”. The SCTA executive director hopes that joint efforts and preparations can help achieve a 15-percent increase in the number of visitors in the current summer season. __
