RIYADH – The impact of the Arab Spring is still being felt in the Middle East as many traditional Arab tourism capitals continue to see low levels of tourists. Compounding the situation was a recent travel advisory issued by several Gulf countries in which their citizens in Lebanon were asked to immediately leave the country due to kidnapping threats. “Only two destinations are remaining – Dubai in the Arab world and Istanbul has replaced Beirut and Cairo. Meanwhile, Malaysia still tops the list of Asian destinations for Saudi travelers and the number of Saudi travelers to Europe has witnessed an increase due to the drop in the exchange rate of the Euro,” said Ahmad Ghaith, Executive President of Ibn Ghaith Travel Agency. Ghaith added that domestic tourism has also increased compared to the same period last year. “The number of domestic flights has increased by 50 percent due to security situation in other Arab countries, with Taif attracting a large number of Saudis.” Mehaidib Al-Mehaidib, Director General of Al-Sirh Travel and Tourism Company, said the United Arab Emirates has taken the lion's share of tourists during the Eid Al-Fitr holidays. Al-Mehaidib also said that Malaysia and Turkey are the main destinations for Saudi families. “Sharm El-Sheikh has reoccupied its position as a destination for Saudis once again but things are only beginning to pick up there.” Humood Al-Mutairi, Director of Siyaha Travel and Tourism Agency, said overall demand for foreign destinations has decreased by 70 percent. “A large number of people spending Eid abroad are expatriates who are visiting their families back home. As far as Saudi families are concerned, many have arranged domestic destinations mostly in Jeddah and the Southern region.” Recent statistics issued by the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA) showed that the number of Saudi nationals who have vacationed abroad during the second quarter of 2012 reached 2.8 million, with a 23 percent growth compared to the same period in 2011. The report, prepared by the SCTA in cooperation with the National Information Center in the Ministry of Interior, said that Bahrain and Kuwait topped the list of destinations. Of these, 970,000 visited Bahrain and 436,000 Kuwait. Meanwhile, the UAE occupied third place with 365,000 Saudi visitors followed by 318,000 in Jordan, 188,000 in Yemen, 136,000 in Qatar, 55,000 in Egypt, 51,000 in Turkey and 35,000 in the United Kingdom. — SG
