JEDDAH – Hotels and furnished apartments in Makkah and Jeddah have increased their rates by 50 percent since the start of the school holidays last week. The holidays also witnessed a rise in the number of Umrah pilgrims and hotel occupancy rates are on average over 90 percent in the two cities. Speaking to Okaz/Saudi Gazette, chairman of the committee of tourist accommodation at the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA) Mohammed Hassan Al-Amir said the mild weather in Makkah and Jeddah these days has also contributed to the rising occupancy levels. He said for the first time hotels and furnished apartments applied SCTA's decision allowing them to hike rates by 50 percent during peak seasons. “For the rest of the year the prices will remain unchanged. “This rate increase will enable the hotels and furnished apartments make more money and hence provide better services to their customers.” Al-Amir said allowing accommodation facilities to increase their prices during the Eid vacations, school holidays and other occasions should not prevent customers from complaining to the STCA if they are asked to pay more than the licensed prices. Hotels and other accommodation in the vicinity of the Prophet's Mosque in Madinah are also witnessing high occupancy rates since the beginning of the school vacation. Many Saudi nationals, expatriates and citizens of the GCC countries prefer Madinah as a destination to spend the vacation in a spiritual atmosphere. The city also has various kinds of tourist facilities including historical and heritage sites and shopping centers. The STCA has about 25 field inspectors monitoring the prices of hotels and furnished apartments in major cities, including Makkah, Madinah and Jeddah, to stop any violations. Investments in the tourist accommodation sector are expected to reach SR97.5 billion over 2010 to 2020. According to official statistics, there were 951 hotels in Saudi Arabia in 2011, of which 18.8 percent were rated five stars. There were also 157 furnished apartments, which is expected to jump to 196 in 2015.
