Hospitality in Saudi Arabia is showing the strongest recovery from the Covid-19 shutdown in Middle East, with advance hotel bookings steadily rising.

That is the conclusion of a report by hotel connectivity expert eRevMax.

The company has been tracking reservation trends for its connected properties in the country since the beginning of the pandemic and has witnessed a sharp fall in April and May, which has since developed into a V-shape recovery starting in June.

Holding January as constant and computing the percentage change across the following months, the report reflects the reservation trends, based on data processed by eRevMax for its client hotels worldwide.

Saudi Arabia has the second highest number of Covid-19 cases in the region.

However, with patient recovery rate higher than the global average, the kingdom has been easing restrictions since June.

As per government reports, domestic tourism, which went into a freefall in April-May, went ahead by 18 per cent in June, compared to last year, with hotel occupancy bouncing back to between 85 to 90 per cent.

In August, the advance bookings exceeded pre-Covid level reaching 110 per cent, for eRevMax partner hotels in Saudi Arabia.

“Saudi Tourism Authority has been focusing on travel and hospitality as a vital sector and working on various initiatives to promote domestic tourism.

“The country is already starting to welcome a limited number of pilgrims following months of tight restrictions.

“This is a strong example of effective government policies and seamless execution leading to robust travel recovery and boost in economy,” commented Udai Singh Solanki, co-chief executive of eRevMax.