Saudi Tourism and Travel Bureau (STTB) has granted the management rights to all of its travel agencies to UAE-based Alpha Tours.
Under deal terms, Alpha Tours will start the takeover of 28 travel agencies in the KSA and one in Bahrain from January 15, re-branding them as STTB Alpha.
“The deal has opened for us the biggest door; the Saudi [Arabian] market,” said Ghasan Aridi, CEO, Alpha Tours. “It will help STTB service the Saudi Arabian and Bahraini markets with better quality, and also increase the business and profit for STTB through our expertise and products.”
Although the partnership will initially focus on outbound travel, the KSA Government’s plans to open up the KSA to tourism by introducing tourist visas, a move Aridi predicted would come into full force at this year’s ITB in Berlin, will offer inbound opportunities.
“Now the authorities are promoting KSA contacts.Increasing APD does not incentivise the aviation industry to find solutions for the cleaner engines of the future.
Instead, there needs to be a greater focus on cutting emissions at source, through a combination of measures such as towing aircraft towards runways instead of taxiing on engines, greater efficiencies within European air traffic control systems, and the creation of a European emissions trading scheme.”
Those most likely to lose out when APD doubles are budget airline passengers, as the bulk of the fare price will be attributed to taxes.
“easyJet takes the issue of aviation and the environment very seriously and we are already making huge efforts to ensure we are as environmentally- efficient as is possible, but APD is the wrong tax for the econto selective tourists from selective markets, we can use our existing contacts to promote the kingdom,” he said. GCC travellers would be the first to visit KSA he added.
STTB Alpha, which currently operates six branches in Riyadh, four in Jeddah, two in Dammam and the remaining 16 spread across the kingdom, will also act as GSA for Costa Cruises KSA-wide. However, Alpha is considering closing six branches to consolidate the business.
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