In the sixties and seventies... between the past and the present. How do Saudis spend their summer vacation?

Written By ندى ماهر عبدربه on 2024/06/01

This article was written originally in Arabic and is translated using a 3rd party automated service. ArabiaWeather is not responsible for any grammatical errors whatsoever.

Weather of Arabia - It is customary for the Saudis to receive the summer vacation after the end of the school year by traveling to their favorite tourist destinations, whether inside or outside the Kingdom, for the purpose of entertainment and recreation, but the travel options and entertainment places within the Kingdom at the present time have increased and become prominent, compared to the past. .

Saudi summer 2024

The Saudi Tourism Authority announced, in a ceremony held under the patronage of the Minister of Tourism, the launch of the “Saudi Summer 2024” program under the slogan “Taraha”, which continues for four months until the end of September, and includes seven diverse tourist destinations. The program includes more than 550 tourism products and 150 tourist destinations. A special offer, aimed at families, children, lovers of adventure and luxury tourism, and those interested in culture and history.

Saudi summer destinations

“Saudi Summer” activities will begin in seven unique destinations, including:

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Al-Baha
Taif
The Red Sea
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Riyadh
Al-Ula

The program also includes the return of the Jeddah Season and the launch of the Asir Season with many concerts and events designed for families and children, in addition to organizing world championships in e-sports and boxing in Riyadh and Jeddah.

What is the meaning of the Saudi summer slogan?

The campaign slogan “You see it” reflects an open invitation to explore the magic of Saudi Arabia’s diverse destinations in terms of climate, nature and culture. The campaign enhances cooperation with the private sector by providing programs and offers that meet the aspirations of tourists from all over the world.

The program also included many facilities to make visiting the Kingdom easier, such as the Gulf resident visa, which allows multiple entry and stay for up to 90 days, the electronic visa for citizens of 66 countries, reducing the cost of the electronic visa by 20%, and increasing the number of weekly flights from Gulf cities to destinations. “Saudi Summer” will reach 1,100 flights, and increase the supply of hotel rooms by adding 25,000 rooms during 2024, which contributes to improving value for money and suiting prices for all categories.

How was the summer of the seventies and eighties in Saudi Arabia?

With the availability of a variety of tourism events, rich in comprehensive programs, and enhanced domestic tourism options at the present time, summer has become completely different from what it was before, but what was the summer of the seventies and eighties AD like?

In this context, social researcher Mansour Al-Assaf told the media:

“At the end of the 1970s, and especially during the boom period, some Saudis would go to spend their summer vacation abroad, and Lebanon was the first destination for foreign tourism for the Saudis.”

Tourism travel outside the Kingdom in the sixties to the beginning of the seventies AD was limited to the velvet class, while the “Al-Kharj Nursery” was the first destination for the residents of the city of Riyadh at that time, and it was established during the reign of King Abdulaziz as a farming area for the benefit of the Al-Kharj Agricultural Project, and then it was transformed after That's to an amusement park.

Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha holidays in Saudi Arabia in the past

Al-Assaf added: “In the past, the summer vacation included Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha holidays, so Saudi families would go to their ancestral homes in small cities and villages to spend the entire vacation period there. Their activities included playing football, land trips, going to parks, and enjoying popular games.”

Al-Assaf explained, saying:

The city of Taif was the resort of kings from the era of King Abdulaziz until the era of King Fahd, but that changed after the completion of the work of the Al-Salam Palace in Jeddah.”

Al-Assaf added: “At the end of the 1970s, the city of Abha became the number one destination for tourism locally.

The Asir region witnessed great interest and development of infrastructure under the direct supervision of the Emir of the region, Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, and a large number of parks were opened, such as Al-Souda, Dilgan, Al-Habla, Al-Qara’a, and Al-Sahab, and many new roads and hotels were inaugurated and prepared.”

The Saudi Tourism Authority is making great efforts to empower its partners and cooperate with them to enhance the Kingdom’s position on the global tourism map. Many strategic partnerships have been concluded and new memorandums of understanding signed to achieve the goals of the tourism sector and welcome more tourists to enjoy the unique destinations, authentic culture and Saudi hospitality.”