Cristal Hotels to arrive in Saudi Arabia

April 7- Abu Dhabi-based

, has announced that it will be expanding to Saudi Arabia, mainly Riyadh, Jeddah, Khobar and Makkah, said a press release on Tuesday. The announcement is in line with Cristal’s Middle East expansion plan. "Saudi Arabia is home to two of Islam's holiest cities and several historic sites and is also either a base or a stopover for numerous multinational corporations. These have combined to turn the Kingdom into a major tourism hub. We intend to apply our formula for successful entry into other key Gulf countries such as Qatar to this very promising market. “We will focus on encouraging Saudi nationals, who are consummate travelers, to consider taking their vacations in their own homeland instead," said Peter Blackburn, CEO, Cristal Hotels and Resorts. Meanwhile, the Saudi government is eager to promote domestic tourism, especially since citizens spend millions on their annual travels abroad. The number of Saudi nationals travelling abroad is expected to rise from around 8.07 million in 2009 to almost 11 million by 2014.