Airline reservations to Syria dropped to zero while Europe remained the number one holiday destination among Saudi tourists planning to spend their short-term vacation abroad this Eid Al-Fitr, according to tour and travel operators in Riyadh. Unrest in some Arab countries has largely been the reason for substantial drop in airline bookings for destinations such as Damascus, Amman and Beirut once popular for short-term Eid Al-Fitr vacation among Saudi tourists, travel industry sources said. Of late, air ticket enquiries for Cairo in Egypt, another country in the region affected by large-scale protests, have emerged among Saudis as a tourist destination, sources said. Mohammad Azam, Tour Manager of Al-Maojil Travels, said the airline bookings for Damascus has dropped to zero except the regular home-bound Syrian expatriates opting to go for annual vacation. Similarly, due to political upheavals Saudi tourists, particularly those in the upper middle class bracket are avoiding visit to Jordan and Lebanon, he said. Azam said countries in the Europe such as the UK, Spain and France remained the top priority destinations for Saudi tourists. He said those Saudi vacationers who already spent their summer holidays in European countries are again seeking short-term vacation package available for these countries. Most Saudi families inquiring for airline reservations are for a period ranging from one to two weeks, he said. Saudi tourists, said one tour operator, are also keen to know about security situation in the region while making reservations. “Although they are well aware of the current political situation,” he said. Muhammad Quaiser, Sales and Marketing Manager, Naba Travel and Tourism Ltd., said the mini-international tour packages once popular among the Saudi tourists during Eid Al-Fitr holidays is not talked about this year. He said tour operators design mini-international tour package by including a local tourist spot such as Abha in Saudi Arabia and Bahrain or Damascus and any other European destination. “Due to the political instability in the region the tourism has been drastically affected, at least during the past six months,” said Quaiser. He said airline seats are fully booked to the Asian subcontinent such as for India and Pakistan and Sudan in Africa by foreign workers going on annual vacation. He said the southern Indian state of Kerala has emerged as the popular tourist destination among Saudis who opt to go for medical reasons. “There is a rush for airline bookings for India by Saudi families that want to visit for a short-term medical tourism at least for five to 10-day period,” he said. Taking advantage of the peak season the airlines have increased fares about eight to10 percent ranging from SR200 to SR300 per air ticket, he said. The high air fare during the peak season will come to an end on Aug. 31, he said. __
