Saudi overseas travel bill tops
$6 billion

Saudi Arabia accounted for over $5.9 billion in outbound tourism expenditure from around 4 million Saudi tourists in 2008, underlining the significant importance of the tourism sector in the Kingdom’s economic growth.
The most popular traditional destinations for outbound Saudi nationals include London and the US, while there has also been a surge in interest in nearby destinations that include Egypt, Lebanon, Turkey, Oman, Syria and the UAE, according to statistics from Saudi Tourism Information and Research Centre (MAS).

Singapore has been particularly important as Saudi has become a top tourism market for the city-state following a 23 per cent increase in visitor arrivals from the Kingdom in the first quarter of 2009 compared to the same period in 2008, according to figures released by the Singapore Tourism Board.
Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore have also emerged as top Asian destinations for outbound Saudi tourists, the MAS statistics said.
To address this surge in outbound tourism, the Elaf Group of Companies, a business organisation serving the Saudi Arabian travel, tourism and hotel industries, recently opened a new call centre in Jeddah and has introduced special corporate packages for exhibition organisers and exhibitors from the Kingdom.
This is part of company’s strategy to capitalise on the robust growth in Saudi’s outbound tourism market, said a top official.
‘The significant reduction in travel costs has further boosted outbound travel in the Kingdom as an increasing number of residents are now exploring new destinations to visit,’ remarked Majed Saud Kaki, assistant general manager, Elaf Group of Companies.
‘Furthermore, we also cater to the travel needs of the corporate sector as we have introduced services that help companies organise their annual meetings or facilitate their participation in important conferences, exhibitions and other trade events in key business destinations all over the world,’ he added.
The Elaf call centre facility employs well-trained professionals and can accommodate up to 400 calls on any given day, Kaki noted.
Elaf has also created group packages for companies that wish to take their employees abroad for annual workshops or meetings, and for participation in various Mice (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions) events in destinations such as Dubai, Paris, Turkey, Lebanon, London and Egypt, among others.-Trade Arabia News Service