Saudi domestic tourism bucks trend amid global travel slump

Saudi domestic tourism bucks trend amid global travel slump

UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili said: “Even as the news of a vaccine boosts traveler confidence, there is still a long road to recovery. We need to step up our efforts to safely open borders while supporting tourism jobs and businesses. It is ever clearer that tourism is one of the most affected sectors by this unprecedented crisis.”Despite the dire international picture, the Saudi Ministry of Tourism announced in September that domestic tourism saw a significant rise in traveler numbers, surpassing official projections. In an April interview with Reuters, Saudi Minister of Tourism Ahmed Al-Khateeb said that Saudi tourism could shrink as much as 45 percent in 2020. However, in September, Al-Khateeb told Bloomberg that a sudden surge in domestic travel — 50 percent more than officials projected — helped save businesses and jobs, as well as boost the economy.Bloomberg reported that 10 sites where the government promoted summer travel generated SR8.6 billion ($2.3 billion) from June 25 to Aug. 31, a 31 percent increase from last year. Hotel occupancy at those sites rose to about 80 percent over the summer, compared to just 5 percent earlier in the pandemic.Other initiatives to boost internal tourism, such as the Red Sea Spirit luxury