Abu Dhabi to tempt Saudi tourists

Abu Dhabi has launched a campaign to attract more high-spending Saudis to the UAE capital.
Tourism chiefs have set up camp at the Ghuwaifat border crossing to alert arriving Saudi tourists of promotions available to them over the summer.
From Aug. 15 they will find food trucks, children’s activities, drinks and information to help promote the emirate’s attractions and hotels.
“The GCC, and especially the Saudi market, has continuously been one of our key targets, providing encouraging prospects as well as a natural convergence of culture, language, customs and tradition between our communities,” said Saif Saeed Ghobash, the director general of TCA Abu Dhabi.
Abu Dhabi is offering special deals and tailored to travelers from the region throughout the year, with discounts, free entrance to theme parks as well as other offers, TCA said in a statement.
The UAE capital recorded a 30 percent increase in the number of hotel guest arrivals in June compared to a year earlier – helped by an Eid influx of holidaymakers.
The emirate welcomed more than 2.25 million guests to its 165 hotels and hotel apartments in the first half according to TCA data.
That represents a 7 percent increase over the same period last year.
Abu Dhabi’s regional tourism push come as Middle East airlines try to revive slowing passenger growth.
Middle Eastern carriers posted a 2.5 percent increase in traffic in June, representing a slowdown from the already subdued 3.7 percent growth for May, according to data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA).