Elaf Group, a business organisation serving the Saudi Arabian travel, tourism and hotel industries, is aiming to expand its portfolio to include four new hotels by 2012.

The company has revealed that innovative customer-centric services such as Garuda airlines’ dedicated call centre in Jeddah, Elaf’s special packages for corporate and individual clients, and premium offerings across its chain of hotels, have helped increase domestic tourist traffic entertained by the group.

'The latest trends in domestic tourism are certainly making it more conducive and attractive for Saudi nationals and residents to travel within the country. With the tourism authority increasingly promoting historical sites and the kingdom's cultural heritage, people are getting a lot more excited to explore new destinations within the country, particularly the sites that are being added to the Unesco World Heritage List,' stated Ziyad Bin Mahfouz, president, Elaf Group of Companies.

'Our strategy is to complement the growing focus on domestic tourism by developing dedicated services and product offerings that add value to the travel experience of domestic tourists. Moreover, we conduct our business and investment activities in accordance with the Shariah law, which gives us greater leverage to cater to the distinct requirements of local travellers,' he added.

Elaf Group provides a comprehensive portfolio of integrated value offerings that include customised travel packages, boarding passes, visit visa issuance, conventions and conferences, charter flights, international driving licence issuance, catering, contract furnishings, travellers’ transportation, and even landing arrangements and permissions.-TradeArabia News Service