‘Saudi Summer’ campaign supports tourism sector, maintains current jobs: ministry

Ministry of Investment building

The ‘Saudi Summer’ campaign to revive domestic tourism, which was launched by the Saudi Tourism Authority (STA), was a remarkable success and played a key role in supporting the tourism sector, as well as enhancing social and economic growth, the Ministry of Investment said.

The campaign, launched from Jun. 25 to Sept. 30, 2020, helped maintain the current jobs in the sector, which was largely hit by lockdowns amid the coronavirus pandemic outbreak. It also helped create new seasonal job opportunities in the sectors linked to tourism.

Hotel occupancy rates hit 48% in the first two months of the campaign. Daily occupancy rates peaked to 85% in Al-Baha, Asir and Taif, and reached 100% in King Abdullah Economic City (KAEC) and Umluj, according to the ministry’s Q3 2020 report.

Moreover, total spending on hotels, restaurants and entertainment activities stood at $2.5 billion (SAR 9.4 billion) by the end of August, a rise of 33% year-on-year.