Local leisure
Described by JLL’s Al Khatib as “an entertainment city”, Jeddah’s beaches, shopping centres and restaurants attract Saudi families wanting to escape the heat of Riyadh in the summer, people on weekend breaks, and religious tourists wanting to spend a few extra days in the Kingdom.
“In Jeddah, we see mainly Saudis moving within Saudi Arabia — so it is very focused on local, internal travel,” Al Khatib explains.
“Locals moving around Saudi Arabia are a big part of the hospitality industry here. Where Jeddah differs from other markets in the Kingdom, such as Riyadh, is that it really concentrates on the religious and leisure tourism, where Riyadh is much more focused solely on corporate business,” he adds.
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The mixture of business, leisure and religious tourism means that Jeddah has a varied market that doesn’t rely on one single element.
“Jeddah, being on the coast of the Red Sea, has a mix of people coming purely for leisure — either weekenders; holiday makers, especially during the school holidays; and divers who come to Jeddah for diving trips or instructors who bring diving students to Jeddah to learn,” says Golden Tulip’s Dabbas.
Tourists may be visiting Jeddah for leisure purposes, but what characterises the leisure market in the city is that it caters predominantly to internal travellers.
Hilton’s Maier confirms: “In the summer, Jeddah is a favourite place for the Saudis to spend their holidays — getting out of the dryer, hotter climate of Riyadh and heading to Jeddah, which is on the Red Sea and has beach facilities and a slightly lower temperature.
“It is almost exclusively Saudis who come exclusively for tourism. Saudi Arabia is not a country for tourism in the same way the UAE is; you need a visa to come in here and KSA has its hands full with religious tourism. So tourism here has a different definition.”
Visa regulations have an obvious impact on tourism in Jeddah; given the restrictions on international travellers, it is unlikely that the city will ever see a big influx of visitors from overseas.
But, says Rosewood Corniche managing director Hans-Peter Leitzke, the visitor restrictions are not as complicated as people imagine — and people visiting Jeddah for business are unlikely to encounter any problems with entry to the Kingdom.
“Visas are not really a problem or an issue as long as you plan your travels accordingly,” he says.
“Things have been simplified — you can apply online and it is all automated — but obviously you still can’t be spontaneous and suddenly say ‘I want to go to Saudi Arabia today’,” he adds.
“But I think it has become easier to obtain a visa because of the automation, so I think more people would consider travelling here because it has made it better.”
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