Jeddah's tourism sector up 70 percent in 2014

(MENAFN) Jeddah's Chamber of Commerce said that the Saudi city has witnessed an increase by 70 percent in tourists during 2014, attributing the increase to the city's several festivals, Arabian Business reported.

The chamber also said that both hotels and furnished apartments have benefited hugely from the upsurge in visitors, recording a 75 percent increase in bookings, while restaurants and fast food outlets recorded a rise by 50 percent in their sales, and the higher end outlets recorded a 45 percent increase over the same period as well.

"We encouraged travel agencies to increase their offers to meet the growing demand from tourists, who have increased their overall holiday spend by 50 percent. We expect the volume of spending on hotel accommodation to reach USD4 million this year," The Chamber said