The Unfenced Desert Towards a strategy for eco ... - Nwrc.gov.sa

Introduction
Chapter 4
Current state of the tourism industry in Saudi Arabia
Whereas religious tourists have been visiting what is now Saudi Arabia for over 1000
years, leisure tourism within the Kingdom is a relatively recent phenomenon - arising
from increased urbanisation; increased leisure time and expendable income, and
improved transportation networks. However, to date due to strict regulation of entry and
movement by non-Saudis, international leisure tourism is negligible and restricted largely
to nationals from Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) countries. Nationally, lack of
development for tourism; the absence of information on internal tourist destinations and
facilities, in combination with fiercely hot summers,(Ady and Waller 1989, 1992) have
resulted in over 3 million Saudis choosing holiday destinations outside the Kingdom each
year - 83% of Saudi vacation time is spent in other countries (ATI 1999). A conservative
estimate suggests that SR500 billion (U$134 billion) is spent on holidays outside the
Kingdom each year; overall, tourism amounts to much less than 1% of the national
economy, compared to 8% in a country such as France (ATI 1999).
The need to support national business, and to limit this leakage of funds has focussed the
attention of both the government and the private sector on the development of the Saudi
tourism industry (Ady and Waller 1992; Ady 1996; CoC, Riyadh 1999; Adnan Al Saigh,
Medina CoC, pers. comm.). Tourism, including nature-based tourism (Abuzinada 1999),
is set to expand. So far this expansion has been development driven, led by the business
sector, and with little evident consideration or mitigation of potential or actual
environmental impacts (Seddon and Khoja 1999).
In this chapter I review the state of the Saudi tourism industry, considering what types of
tourism take place and, using the Asir Province as an example, where and when, and
what sorts of facilities are available to tourists. Staying with Asir, I examine the evidence
of environmental impacts of on-going tourism development. I then review the current
administrative structures to assess whether these appear adequate to regulate the
industry. I briefly look at the actual and potential role of international tourism, including
expatriate residents and Muslim pilgrims, and consider possible future changes. I assess
34