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It turns out that Covid-19 has created an unprecedented good fortune in the domestic market for Saudi Arabia.
Beyond the much-needed tourist benefits this brings, an increase in the number of other people exploring their own kingdom provides another unforeseen gain: the kingdom’s willingness to cater to foreign tourists when the doors open again, their industry leaders say.
Last summer, many Saudis first opened to destinations in their own country, while the Saudi Arabian Tourism Authority and the personal sector, surpassed by Covid-19 like everyone else in the world, turned to the domestic market.
Saudis regularly travel abroad during holidays, and other Arab states and Europe are popular regions, but banning the kingdom of all foreigners to and from the country since early March to control the spread of Covid-19 makes the alien impossible. by the end of May, which allowed citizens to enter the country, but flights abroad remain suspicious.
There has been a national travel market, however, it was basically for business, visits to friends and family, attending weddings and other special occasions, and for devoted reasons, said Muzzammil Ahussain, executive vice president of the Saudi-listed customer travel unit. it would be.
“The big change is that the purpose is different. Today, domestic is basically leisure,” Ahussain said.
The Saudis were not local travelers at home because they had never been caught up in new destinations and reports, M. S. Mohammed said Binmahfouz, founder and CEO of Umrahme Business, in Jeddah.
“As soon as the national crusade highlighted those places in the country, Saudi travelers began to stop and enjoy those unexplored places in the kingdom.
“There are many new destinations, such as the Neom Islands, Amaala, Qiddiya and the Red Sea [90 islands near Tabuk only], as well as rediscovering the cultural and geological sites of Umluj [nicknamed the Maldives of Saudi Arabia], Tabuk, Al-Ula, Al-Baha, Abha and many others,” Binmahfouz said.
The Saudi Tourism Authority’s Saudi summer crusade encouraged citizens and expats to take advantage of 10 destinations along the Red Sea, from Tabuk in the north to Jazan in the south. The authority has worked with 90 partners and hoteliers to create more than a hundred packages in 10 destinations.
“These are spaces that I know many citizens had never met before in Saudi Arabia,” said Saudi Arabian Tourism Authority Executive Director Fahd Hamidaddin. “A vital attention for many other people the coolest climate, especially in the mountainous regions of the kingdom, where temperatures can remain around 20 degrees. By comparison, summer averages can exceed 40 degrees in other parts of the region. »
Throughout the campaign, the hotel occupancy rate averaged about 50% in all 10 destinations, or even about 10 percent in some spaces during the Eid break, he said. herself was in 2019.
National recreation boosts Saudi product offering, says Saudi Tourism Authority Executive Director Fahd Hamidaddin
“In addition, the crusade has allowed us to continue to expand product offerings, businesses [including new businesses that have opened up due to demand] and shape a young industry as the country prepares to reopen foreign visitors,” Hamidaddin said.
Ahussain de Seera said the good luck of the crusade is “a springboard to prepare for foreign arrivals. “
Seera, for example, has noticed a local car holiday market, not just a flight and hotel market. This, in turn, creates the urgency of offering tours, activities and experiences, a domain that remains a steep learning curve for a country that has largely welcomed pilgrims and business travelers.
“For me, hotels and flights are the part, but how do other people enjoy tourism?This is what we [the kingdom] want to continue to develop,” Ahussain said.
“There is no primary foreign DMC in Arabia, however, a number of looming CMDs are running with the Saudi Arabian Tourism Authority to build this infrastructure,” Ahussain said. A DMC is a destination control company, a term used to describe agencies specializing in destination wisdom, unlike flight/hotel operators.
“What we have are small businesses, for example, if I go to the beach, there is a small company that knows this town and knows how to dive there. That’s where we are right now. So the whole industry is looking to bring this ecosystem and this human capital together. Not everything wants a multibillion-dollar investment,” he said, referring to giant-sized infrastructure and infrastructure allocations like Neom and the Red Sea allocation that are in development.
Seera presented its own destination control group, Discover Saudi, in November at the World Travel Market, following the launch of Saudi Arabia’s “Open Hearts, Open Doors” in September last year, which marked the country’s opening to recreational tourists.
Ahussain said Seera had committed $133 million (500 million Saudi riyars) to expand foreign tourism in Saudi Arabia, and national recreational activities are now also a vital goal.
“We have a balance between the delight of the industry and the local experience. We own a car rental business, for example, and we know how to manage a giant stock of vehicles. We have many other people in the client who perceive what the visitor wants. It still takes time, however, we have started to create tours and activities, and we have signed some other provider that offers specialized tours and adventure activities for the Saudis. We hope to launch some other wave of packages in Saudi Arabia in the coming weeks,” he said.
From the launch of its open space policy last September to the closure of borders in the first quarter, Saudi Arabia has issued more than 400,000 tourist visas, Hamidaddin of the Saudi Arabian Tourism Authority said, which has made Saudi Arabia the fastest developing destination in the world, he said.
But it may have been simply deastrous if thousands of people flocking to the “new frontier” of tourism notice that they are not in a position to take over the influx. The increase in domestic recreational activities has provided a kind of career. or repetition for the reopening of borders for foreign recreationals.
However, it’s a moment.
Domestic businesses then deserve to return, said Kamel Ajami, Hilton Hotels’ vice president of operations for Saudi Arabia, the Levant and North Africa.
“We expect corporate transition issues to go backwards on a larger scale as businesses and the public sector begin to accelerate their operations after the summer period. Meetings and occasions will take longer to return; However, we are able to welcome you with a greater degree of hygiene and cleanliness as a component of Hilton EventReady,” he said.
Saudi Arabia is also expected to re-open the Umra market. “The government will soon announce new measures to ensure that the citizens of Umra, both national and international, can enjoy the confidence that their protection is protected,” Hamidaddin said.
However, there are doubts about the return of tourism.
“I think hajj and Umra tourism will take years to get back to 2019 levels. This will probably be the last of the tourism categories due to overcrowding factor,” said Elnur Seyidli, executive director of UK-based HalalBooking. On the other hand, once you have returned to your 2019 level, you can still multiply from there. “
The company planned to launch an Umrah Hotels Category for this winter before the Covid-19 occurred, encouraged through Saudi Arabia’s resolution to simplify the visa process. “We’ll probably release the category anyway, but we’ll delay the marketing campaign,” Seyidli said.
Binmahfouz of Umrahme expects Omra’s activity to begin with a limited number of national omra artists, and then accumulate until abroad is legal and new security protocols are established.
“The discovery and availability of a vaccine in the market will drive recovery,” he said, adding that he supported government measures for the fitness and protection of citizens, citizens and visitors who remain the most sensible priority.
Ahussain de Seera, said Ahussain de Seera, will probably take some time. “There is no official data on when Saudi Arabia will open its doors to foreign law. The kingdom takes a strict approach; he needs to make sure things are okay. “under control, and that’s normal. Internally, we are preparing to have products and facilities in position early next year for the external market. For the rest of the year, we are focused on the domestic market,” he said.
But after the pandemic, travelers around the world can look for fewer news and prioritize destinations where they feel safe than an unknown destination that is also considered strict and authoritarian, with a history of human rights violations to begin with.
Members of the Saudi industry rejected the idea. Seera still receives inquiries on Saudi Arabia from Far Eastern markets such as Japan, the United States and Europe, Ahussain said. “There is interest, especially when other people see the promotional pictures and paintings that Visit Saudi has done. “
The kingdom is horny with tomorrow’s foreign tourists, Said Hamidaddin of the Saudi Arabian Tourism Authority. Its fertile valleys, quiet beaches, dense forests, cool climates, mountain peaks and historic villages are ideal for enclosed visitors who crave the outdoors and adventure. .
Projects and developments across the country have not stopped despite the pandemic, while more teams of foreign hotels are arriving, he said.
“More recently, Millennium Hotels
“In October of this year, Hegra, the kingdom’s first UNESCO heritage and a notable example of Nabataean architectural domain, will open up to the public. In addition, the Red Sea project, one of the most ambitious and environmentally frivolous tourist advances in the world. , is expected to receive its first visitors until the end of 2022. »
Hilton’s Ajami said the chain is “absolutely on track” with its expansion plans, as Saudi Arabia’s treasures make it a “hot ticket” for long-term travelers.
Hilton has been operating in Mecca for over 25 years, with 4 hotels and 3,000 rooms in 3 brands, Conrad, Hilton and DoubleTree through Hilton.
“We continue to see significant progression opportunities for our full and luxury service brands in major cities and hotel destinations, such as Riyadh, Jeddah and other Red Sea sites. Our specific service brands see significant expansion in small regional centers; one example is the expansion of Hilton Garden Inn with 4 hotels operating lately in Riyadh, Al Jubail and Al Khobar, with 12 others in process. The interest of hotel investors has increased as a result of Vision 2030’s commendable initiatives,” Ajami said.
It turns out that Covid-19 has not mirrored Saudi ambitions “Open Hearts, Open Doors”.
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