Tag: Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia has announced that domestic flights throughout the kingdom would resume from Sunday. As the COVID-19 crisis eases, the suspension of flights will be lifted in stages to include all domestic destinations within two weeks. The Saudi Arabian General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) said, “We have completed operational preparations to gradually lift the suspension of domestic flights, in order to ensure a safe travel journey for travellers through Saudi airports while taking all necessary health measures.” The resumption of flights will take place in stages. The first stage includes 11 airports in Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam, Medinah, Qassim, Abha, ... Read more

If you have a Schengen visa, you can now apply for Saudi Arabia’s new Tourist e-Visa. Last month, Saudi Arabia launched a Tourist e-Visa, a first for the Kingdom which so far did not allow foreigners to enter simply for tourism purposes. Those eligible for Saudi Arabia’s new Tourist e-Visa included all Schengen Area nationals as well as the USA, Australia, Japan, South Korea, South Africa, Malaysia, Singapore, and Brunei. However, according to new regulations that were announced last week, the list of who can apply for the new Tourist e-Visa has been extended to include all visa holders of the ... Read more

The pilgrims visiting Saudi Arabia for Umrah will now be free to visit anywhere in the Kingdom during their stay, the Saudi Cabinet decided on Tuesday. “The Cabinet has decided to exclude people coming to perform Umrah and to visit the Prophet’s Mosque (in Madinah), of the prohibition of movement outside Makkah, Madinah, and Jeddah. A royal decree has been prepared to this effect,” the acting media minister, Issam bin Saeed, said in a statement to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA). Previously, Umrah pilgrims were restricted to the holy cities of Makkah and Madinah and the port city of Jeddah ... Read more

The Saudi cabinet has recently announced a new visa category to woo international tourists to the country. Introduction of the special ‘event’ visas is part of plans by the Kingdom to become a major global entertainment destination. Foreign tourists can now choose from the growing number of sporting, entertainment and business attractions available in the country. As per the circular issued by the cabinet, announcing the new visa category, Embassies and consulates will be able to issue the visas within 24 hours of receiving a request. Under the visa upgrade, the Kingdom’s General Investment Authority, General Sports Authority and General Entertainment ... Read more

India’s budget carrier IndiGo is planning services to China, Saudi Arabia, Vietnam, Myanmar among other countries as part of its efforts to expand its international network. The carrier also has plans to start services to Turkey and Commonwealth of Independent States countries. IndiGo also plans to add frequencies in existing routes. IndiGo has also announced plans to fly from Pune to Male in Maldives soon, which is expected to start the service by the end of March. IndiGo currently operates international flights to 12 countries including Bangladesh, Hong Kong, Kuwait, Malaysia, Maldives, Nepal, Oman, Qatar, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand and ... Read more

The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister, has approved the signing of Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Tourism, Government of the Republic of India and the Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for strengthening cooperation in the field of Tourism. The Memorandum of Understanding aims at exchanging information and expertise in Legislation in the tourism development, Hotels, resorts and tourist accommodation facilities, Tourism data and statistics, Exhibition events and other tourism activities in States of the Parties, Tourism development, planning and investment; Licensing, operating and marketing tourism facilities, Agricultural Tourism,  ... Read more

Al Ula, the gateway to Mada’in Saleh, is a small town about 400 km north of Medina. Once an oasis with fertile soil and abundant water, it was founded in the 6th century BC and originally inhabited by the Lihyanites. The town was formerly a strategic trade route for spices and incense from the Levant, Egypt and North Africa. The 2,000-year-old ghost town was made of stone and mud. The preserved archaeological site still contains many distinctive tombstones and inscriptions written in ancient Nabatean scripts, which historians believe was an old form of the Arabic alphabet. Al Ula, Abandoned city ... Read more

The Indian hospitality chain, Oyo, is all set to enter the Saudi Arabian market.  Other than its regular offerings such as hotel rooms, homestays and townhouses, Oyo is launching a new category for the Saudi market. The new category of offer is expected to tap the huge number of religious tourists visiting the country. OYO Hotels & Home has also set a target of reaching 12,000 rooms by 2020 in the Middle East market, which is a 10-fold jump from 1300 rooms on its platform in the UAE market. In September 2018, the company has raised some AED3.68 billion (US$1 billion) funding ... Read more

Photo Courtesy: SeeSaudi With an aim to boost tourism sector and increase tourist footfalls, Saudi Arabia has decided to open e-visa to its visitors. The service will be available to citizens of USA, Australia, Japan, South Korea, South Africa, Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei and all Schengen Area countries. “Its holders could travel throughout the whole desert country except for the holy cities of Mecca and Medina,” said Prince Abdul Aziz, a member of the Royal House of Saudi. The authorities haven’t yet revealed details related to the e-visa requirements, such as the price, validity etc. The introduction of the e-visa follows a ... Read more

Agoda and Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Hajj and Umrah sign MoU to achieve vision 2030 goal of 30 million pilgrims Agoda, one of the world’s fastest growing online travel agents (OTA), and Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Hajj and Umrah have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) supporting the Kingdom’s vision of 2030 goal to increase its capacity to over 30 million pilgrims by utilizing Agoda’s technology and travel expertise, marketing platform capabilities, intelligence tools and resources. The agreement was signed on Monday 3 December, 2018 by H E Dr Mohammad Saleh bin Taher Benten, the Saudi minister of Hajj and ... Read more

Radisson Collection has opened the Nofa Resort Riyadh, a Radisson Collection Hotel in Saudi Arabia. Built in African style, the resort has 57 bungalows and villas overlooking Nofa Wildlife Park. Nofa Resort Riyadh features three on-site restaurants – the Tswalu restaurant, Butcher’s Den and Al Fresco restaurant. Tswalu restaurant features African-style interiors, serves international cuisine for breakfast, lunch and dinner whereas the Butcher’s Den features grilled specialties, outdoor terrace seating and lake views. Al Fresco serves Italian classics including stone-fired pizzas. The hotel also features a tailored private dining service for special occasions or business events. Guests can also enjoy the Hookah Lounge, a tea ... Read more

The first edition of Indian Food Festival held at the Tea Garden restaurant in The InterContinental Hotel Jeddah will conclude on October 10, 2018. “The festival will further help strengthen the bonds of ties between India and Saudi Arabia. Indian Cuisine reflects on 8000 years history of various groups and cultures in directing with the Indian Sub continent leading to diversity of flavors and regional cuisines found in Modern day India. Indian Cuisine consists of a wide variety of regional and traditional cuisine native to the Indian subcontinent. These cuisines vary substantially from each other and use locally available spices, ... Read more

Site of Amaala Project (Photo Courtesy: Saudi Gazette) Saudi Arabia is planning to build a luxurious tourism center with international standards. It is in addition to the two mega projects in the banks of the red sea. The project cost will be mainly spent from the Sovereign Wealth Fund (Public Investment Fund) of Saudi. Public Investment Fund has announced that they will bear the initial costs of the project, which is named as Amaala. The project will spread on 3,800 square meters will be developed on the concepts of Wellness, Healthy Living and Meditation. Other than the PIF Funding, lots ... Read more

Emirates will operate a special one-off A380 service on 23 September to the capital city of Riyadh in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, in celebratory participation of the country’s 88th National Day. “The UAE enjoys a strong relationship with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia through fraternal ties and constructive cooperation, as well as a shared vision for the future. Bringing the Emirates A380 is a fitting way to support the National Day celebrations, and for customers in Riyadh to try the superior A380 product for themselves. King Khalid International Airport is also well equipped to handle the A380 and we ... Read more

Saudi Arabia will provide Hajj visas for Qatari nationals on-arrival, noting that Doha had been attempting to block access to citizens wishing to perform the holy pilgrimage later this month. The Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umra countered Qatari claims that the kingdom was blocking access to websites used to register for Hajj visas by officially allowing citizens to obtain permits at the King Abdulaziz Airport in Jeddah. The ministry provided photos of the offices that will be responsible for Qatari pilgrims during their stay in Makkah. “Qataris will be granted passage, despite a diplomatic dispute between Riyadh and Doha,” ... Read more