Abdullah Al-Jamili

Al-Madinah

 

ACCORDING to statistics, more than 200,000 Saudis visited the United States this summer and more than 132,000 visited Dubai during the Eid Al-Fitr holidays.



Despite the unstable political and security conditions in Egypt, a total of 29,323 Saudis visited the country in July, an increase of 268 percent when compared to the same month last year.



These are figures from three countries only. When we add to them the other countries of the world, the figure will be astronomical.



The question here is why do these people leave their country every year to spend their holidays abroad? Where is the problem? What is the solution?



With its diversified climate, geographical locations and rich historical heritage, our country can be a main attraction to tourists from inside and abroad. There are, however, many reasons behind the seasonal migration of the Saudis to the outside world every summer.



One of these reasons is that the government department in charge of tourism, the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities, is still busy theorizing and making traditional plans and programs at a time when tourism has become an industry.



In order to lure tourists, the tourist destinations are creating strong basic infrastructure in addition to initiating new and innovative tourism programs.



Malaysia, for instance, does not have the fabulous climate the tourists usually look for. It has become an outstanding tourist country because it has a strong will and good planning.



Malaysia was able to turn the traditional places into tourist shrines. It has established special parks and gardens for butterflies, botany and birds in Kuala Lumpur that have become tourist attractions.



Egypt is continuously looking for new tourist attractions. Early July it had renovated and reopened the historic Al-Mu’izz Al-Fatimi Street in old Cairo.



In our country, until recently the historical sites were demolished, with lame excuses given for their removal. The existing antiquities were not invested in and are only renovated after strong criticism from citizens.



Why have the Qur’an Printing Press in Madinah and the Kaaba Kiswa Factory that makes the cloth covering the House of God in Makkah not been made into tourist spots so that pilgrims, visitors, citizens and expatriates can visit for nominal fees?



It is the absence of strategies and cooperation among the concerned government departments that has been behind the slow progress of tourism in our country.