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The issued study by King Khali University (KKU) has recommended to encourage the investment in Abha five-star hotels. It also has recommended the competent authorities to monitor the hotel-services' prices in Abha and increase its quality to suit the tourist level of assessment and evaluation for hotel services in the rest of Kingdom cities.
The title of study is The Hotel Services in urban Abha (evaluated through the perspective of tourists). The study was searched and done by the Rahma Al Raba'i from Geography Department. The study is based on field surveys where 499 questionnaires were distributed to dwell tourists in hotels. The data were analyzed using Statistical Program for Social Sciences (SPSS) and some other statistical methods.
The study aimed to identify the hotel industry in urban Abha and to find the tourists' assessment and evaluation of hotels services. It also aimed to compare them with the hotel services of other kingdom regions from the perspective of tourists. The study used the inductive approach through the analysis and extrapolation of tourists evaluation of hotel services in urban Abha with the help of a number of statistical methods.
The result has revealed the period between 1415 AH and 1430 AH was the greatest growth periods for the hotel industry in urban Abha. In which, 20 hotels were opened with the percentage of 66.7% of the total hotels in urban Abha. Moreover, the results shows that the hotels are located in only 5 districts of urban Abha with the percentage of 63.3%. Other hotels are located in 11 districts of urban Abha with the percentage of 36.7%. Furthermore, the five-stars hotels in urban Abha are only two.
The researcher has found that the city of Ahad Rafidah has no hotels and the hotel services in Asir region especially in urban Abha is concentrated by 73% and 27% in the other areas of Asir.
As the results show, there are 11 hotels have not been classified yet with the percentage of 66.6% for not completing the necessary procedures to be included in the category. Moreover, Rahma has found that most of the tourists coming to Abha are from the regions of Najran and Jizan with the percentage of 38.6% due to their proximity to Abha.
In the same regard, the longest stay for 63.3% tourists in Abha are ten days or less. In which 70% of them justify this for the lack of services in hotels. In the other hand, 60% of them clarified that the most important factors that helped the tourists to increase duration stay in Abha is the attraction of nature and humanity.
41.8% of the tourists have chosen to stay in hotels near to city center. This confirms the cause of the accumulation of hotels in the center of urban Abha. As the results show, only 10% of the study sample have stayed in five and four-star hotels and that might be due to the high prices. While 83.3% of the tourists have expressed their desire to come back to the region and this confirms the success of the region in attracting tourists.
The results also has shown that the overall average for the tourists' assessment of hotel services prices in urban Abha was (2.64) which indicates that the general level of prices of hotel services in urban Abha is considered high. Similarly, the overall average for the assessment of hotel services in urban Abha was (3.21) which indicates that the level of service in hotels is considered 'good'. Continuously, the overall average for the tourists' assessment of hotel services in the rest of the Kingdom regions has reached (3.62), which indicates the level of hotel services in the rest of the Kingdom regions are considered 'very good'.
The results also have revealed that the evaluation of tourists for hotel services in urban Abha were very good grade in the following services: the location of the hotel, the level of comfort and tranquility, the coverage of the mobile phone network and Internet, the space of doors and windows, the space of walkways in the hotel, the level of cleanliness, the room space, the level of rapid response to the room requests, the quality and distribution of room lighting, the rapid response to complaints, the adequate stairs and elevators. In the other hand, the evaluation of tourists for hotel services in urban Abha were good grade in the following services: the furniture, the space of cars entrance area to the gate of the hotel, the lobby service , the coffee shop service, the dining hall and meetings service, the restaurant and foods, the parks and green spaces near the hotel.
These services have gotten the lowest grade in the scale: the first aid room, the sports club, the car service and entertainment games.
The results showed that the evaluation of tourists for any hotel services in urban Abha have not reached the average (4.20) and which indicates the desire of tourists to upgrade the level of services in the urban Abha.
As shown by the study, some hotel services in the Kingdom regions have exceeded the services in urban Abha such as:
The quality of furniture, the space of cars entrance area to the gate of the hotel, entrance lobby, the coffee shop service, the level of restaurants and eating in the hotel, the first aid room, the sports club, the car service and entertainment games.
The researcher has recommended to make a tourist map for urban Abha showing the hotels locations and landmarks and it should be distributed in the city entrances for arrival tourists. In addition to that, she has recommend to encourage the investors to establish three and four star hotels in the city of Ahad Rufidah as well as to encourage the investment of five star hotels in urban Abha.
She finally has recommended the General Authority for Tourism and Antiquities to establish a youth recreation, and follow-up the job of hotels classification, and follow-up the hotel services in urban Abha especially those who have gotten low evaluation by tourists.
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