الرئيسية
DUBAI: The UAE attracted a huge number of Saudi nationals this week
as several people left the Kingdom to spend a short school midterm
holiday in the UAE.
Hotel and tourism specialists said the number of visitors might cross 200,000.
Government officials, however, could not confirm this figure immediately.
In fact, holidays in Saudi Arabia and Oman, combined with the Dubai Shopping Festival, have created a huge shortage for hotel rooms in the UAE.
The hotel occupancy has been high for the last one week and rooms were not available even in small hotels in Sharjah and Ajman.
Hussam Al-Jaffar, a Saudi National from Dammam, said he was enjoying
his stay in Dubai and most of his hotel mates are Saudi nationals.
“Every year, I visit Dubai with my family. I prefer to spend my vacation in the UAE because it is close to Saudi Arabia and it has modern shopping facilities like European countries,” he added.
“Of course, I visit tourist attractions in Sharjah and Abu Dhabi too,” he said.
Thomas Kurian, director of sales and marketing at Flora Group of
Hotels in Dubai, said Saudi nationals occupied 50 percent of their rooms
during the past week.
“We have about 700 rooms and 50 percent of our guests for this period have been from Saudi Arabia. Since our property is non-alcoholic, the demand from Saudi Arabia is always high,” he added.
Salem Abdullah, a visitor from Saudi Arabia who was staying at a hotel in Ajman, said he could not find a room in Dubai because of high demand.
as several people left the Kingdom to spend a short school midterm
holiday in the UAE.
Hotel and tourism specialists said the number of visitors might cross 200,000.
Government officials, however, could not confirm this figure immediately.
In fact, holidays in Saudi Arabia and Oman, combined with the Dubai Shopping Festival, have created a huge shortage for hotel rooms in the UAE.
The hotel occupancy has been high for the last one week and rooms were not available even in small hotels in Sharjah and Ajman.
Hussam Al-Jaffar, a Saudi National from Dammam, said he was enjoying
his stay in Dubai and most of his hotel mates are Saudi nationals.
“Every year, I visit Dubai with my family. I prefer to spend my vacation in the UAE because it is close to Saudi Arabia and it has modern shopping facilities like European countries,” he added.
“Of course, I visit tourist attractions in Sharjah and Abu Dhabi too,” he said.
Thomas Kurian, director of sales and marketing at Flora Group of
Hotels in Dubai, said Saudi nationals occupied 50 percent of their rooms
during the past week.
“We have about 700 rooms and 50 percent of our guests for this period have been from Saudi Arabia. Since our property is non-alcoholic, the demand from Saudi Arabia is always high,” he added.
Salem Abdullah, a visitor from Saudi Arabia who was staying at a hotel in Ajman, said he could not find a room in Dubai because of high demand.