According to a traveldailyasia.com report, travel during the Islamic holy months of Ramadan is expected to be down by almost 30 per cent due the H1N1 Influenza scare and travel restrictions. Fursan Travel, Saudi Arabia’s provider of leisure and corporate travel, meetings and events, and GSA services, has advised that restrictions placed on travellers to Umrah during Ramadan would have a severe impact on travel to and from Saudi Arabia. Roger Pfund, Chief Executive Officer, Fursan said that recent developments by Egypt, Iran and Iraq to partially suspend Visa applications would ultimately lead to a reduction in travellers to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA).
“The decision to ban people travelling due to the H1N1 Influenza pandemic is respected; however the long term impact on the economy here cannot be understated. Those who travel during the holy month of Ramadan for Umrah provide a significant boost to our tourism industry. With these restrictions in place, travellers will ultimately look to alternate destinations outside the Kingdom or defer travel until 2010,” said Pfund. |