Tag Archives: KSA

To provide efficient passport renewal services to a vast population of Filipino nationals living in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), The Republic of the Philippines has extended their collaboration with VFS Global for five years by signing a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) on 7 May 2021 in an official ceremony that was held in Manila, Philippines. KSA is one of the countries in the Middle East with the highest concentration of Filipino workers. To enhance customer experience and provide greater accessibility to customers in the KSA, the DFA outsourced the administrative and non-discretionary task of the passport renewal process to VFS Global in 2019. Subsequently, three Philippine ePassport Renewal Centres were launched in Riyadh, Jeddah and Al Khobar in October 2020. Prior to the launch of ePassport Renewal Centres, Philippine residents in the Kingdom had to visit the Philippine Embassy in Riyadh or the Consulate in Jeddah for passport renewal. Customers now have an additional avenue to complete the process. In addition to the Centres in KSA, VFS Global also operates two ePassport Renewal Centres located in Dubai and Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates, which are also part of MoA extension. Upon signing the agreement, Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Brigido J. Dulay said, “Partnering with an established outsourcing champion like VFS Global enabled the DFA to multiply its presence in the Middle East at zero cost to the Philippine government. With the renewal, we can now look at widening and implementing similar service centres in other countries.” Attending the virtual signing ceremony, Chris Dix, Head of Business Development, VFS Global, quoted, “On behalf of VFS Global, I would like to thank the Department …

New research from global traveller experiences expert Collinson has found that in the future, 76% of travellers in the UAE and 80% in KSA have said they’ll be prioritising their mental wellbeing more when they travel now than they did before COVID-19. Despite there being a pent up demand for travel in the region, the majority of travellers (62% in the UAE and 67% in KSA) think travel post-pandemic will be more stressful in the current climate. When asked what travel brands could do to help the situation, in both countries, 38% of travellers said they would value propositions from providers that prioritise their mental wellbeing. Travellers also highlighted additional services that they would be willing to pay for to improve their wellbeing at the airport. These included spaces such as airport lounge access, as many as 37% would pay for this in KSA whilst 30% of UAE respondents would pay for a quiet place in which to sit and relax. 18% in the UAE and 28% in KSA have also said they would pay extra for access to airport sleep pods. Priyanka Lakhani, Director South Asia and Commercial Director Middle East and Africa at Collinson said, “In the context of travel during Covid-19, it’s often the conversation around physical wellbeing that has dominated so it’s very insightful to understand more about the importance passengers in the region place on the emotional and mental wellbeing aspects of their journey. While hygiene measures are critical, looking after travellers’ all-round wellness across the travel experience will be just as important and will help the travel industry shape its offering to encourage and rebuild traveller confidence. The travel industry needs to stay flexible, …

Oman Air resumed flights to Riyadh KSA, operating 4 flights per week. Flights to Dammam KSA resumed on 28 March 2021, operating 4 flights per week. The airline will maintain its comprehensive safety program throughout all elements of the travel journey to ensure that guests fly confidently. Masks are required when guests are onboard the aircraft and in Oman’s airports. Distancing is maintained while guests board and exit the aircraft, which are carefully cleaned after each flight and at the end of every day. Cabin crew all wear a full set of personal protective equipment, meal service has been modified to further ensure safety, and a number of other measures have been implemented to ensure that the airline’s guests and crew are safe at all times. Guests who are planning to travel to Muscat should visit the Civil Aviation Authority website, caa.gov.om, to ensure they are prepared to comply with requirements to enter the Sultanate. Guests travelling to KSA should ensure they are aware of official requirements to enter or transit through the country. Guests departing from Oman should also ensure that they are aware of all pre-departure requirements and requirements during their flights, which are provided at omanair.com.

Offering the residents of KSA the perfect getaway, Ascott welcomes family and friends to a luxurious retreat at Ascott Corniche Al Khobar. Part of the brand’s prestigious portfolio, the property is locally popular for its exclusive serviced apartments and recreational facilities that include a swimming pool, gymnasium, restaurant, guest lounge and business facilities. Offering studios, one-, two-, and three-bedrooms, the serviced property is located steps away from the picturesque and tranquil corniche. Guests are welcome to step into Ascott Corniche Al Khobar for a pampering stay and step out for a calm stroll along the serene corniche. To uplift confidence and safety, the property is accredited with the renowned Bureau Veritas certificate in line with the brand’s Ascott Cares initiative.

Saudi Arabia is set to reopen its borders to international travellers, although the relaxation across the kingdom comes with strict coronavirus safety guidelines, according to a report by Saudi Press Agency (SPA). Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s government also decided lifting the precautionary measures related to the spread of a new variant of coronavirus (Covid-19) in a number of countries, regarding the suspension of all international flights for travellers, entry to the Kingdom through its land and sea ports. Taking into consideration the following: Entry into the Kingdom for non-citizens coming from the United Kingdom and South Africa, as well as from any other country being specified by the Ministry of Health, in which the new variant of the novel coronavirus (B. 1, 1, 7) is spread, shall be provided that whoever wishes to enter shall spend a period of no less than (14) days outside the country in which the new coronavirus variant (B. 1, 1, 7) is spread before entering the Kingdom, with a (PCR) examination after the expiration of this period, proving that he/she is COVID-19 infection-free. Citizens who are allowed to enter into the Kingdom for humanitarian and urgent cases coming from countries where the new coronavirus variant (B. 1, 1, 7) is spread, shall be quarantined, pursuant to paragraph (1 ) above, in their homes under observance for a period of (14) days, with two (PCR) examinations of the first shall be carried out after arrival within no more than (48) hours and the second before ending the quarantine on the 13th day. As for the countries in which cases of the strain (B. 1, 1, 7) were registered, those coming from them shall be quarantined …

To ease the passport renewal process for Indian citizens residing in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), the Embassy/ Consulate of India in KSA has unified efforts with VFS Global, to organise scattered tours to collect passport renewal applications from Indian communities residing in the remote locations of the eastern and western regions of the Kingdom.

Sabre hosted a dedicated webinar for travel players in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) and the region to discuss the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on travel, its challenges and opportunities and how the industry is recovering from the crisis. Sabre Corporation (NASDAQ: SABR), is the leading software and technology provider that powers the global travel industry.The virtual event, which brought together executives and decision makers from travel companies and travel associations, highlighted market performance over the past few months and the role of technology to power its recovery. “As we enter a period of recovery from COVID-19, travel players need to look into new ways to operate in this new environment of uncertainty and continuous change,” said Abdul-Razzaq Iyer, vice president, Sabre Travel Network Middle East (STNME). “Equipping travel companies with the right solutions – such as artificial intelligence-based applications, that can automate processes, intelligent data analytics and virtual payments solutions – is essential in powering travel companies to navigate through the current challenges.” “Travel agencies play a vital role in rebuilding travellers’ trust and confidence,” Iyer added. “Travellers have a new definition of personalisation that involves new requirements and expectations for health and safety standards. They expect accurate and reliable information on travel restrictions and regulations during their planning phase. We are working closely with our customers to identify the best intelligent solutions and travel safety-related products to help them respond to travellers’ new demands and expectations.” “Saudi travel has proved to be a resilient industry,” said Faisal Kayal, Country Manager KSA, STNME. “We have seen strong market recovery compared to many countries regionally and globally, due to effective planning for the return of domestic travel and …

In a bid to ease the passport renewal process for Philippine nationals living in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), The Republic of the Philippines Department of Foreign Affairs and VFS Global have signed a contract to provide Passport Renewal services in Riyadh, Jeddah and Al Khobar. All three centres have started to accept passport renewal requests from Saturday to Thursday between 08:00 AM to 08:00 PM. This is the first time The Republic of the Philippines Department of Foreign Affairs has outsourced its passport renewal process in KSA. Prior to this, Philippine residents in the KSA had to visit the Philippine Consulate in Jeddah or the Embassy in Riyadh for passport renewal. With the opening of the new ePassport Renewal Centres, customers will have an additional avenue to complete the process. Chris Dix, Head of Business Development, VFS Global, said, “We would like to thank The Republic of the Philippines Department of Foreign Affairs for their faith in us. Our Passport and Consular services have been growing from strength to strength, and we look forward to bringing those best in class services to the Philippines nationals here in the Kingdom.”

In preparation for this year’s Hajj, Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Transport (MOT) has completed the maintenance of about 491 km of roads leading to Makkah and has assigned buses for each pilgrim group with full precautionary measures.These steps follow the directives of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince with the support and supervision of Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, Adviser to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and Governor of Makkah Al Mukaramah Province, and the follow-up of Eng. Saleh bin Nasser Al-Jasser, Minister of Transport, to serve the visitors of the Holy House of Allah. Periodic and preventive maintenance was carried out on several major roads leading to Makkah Al Mukaramah, which included Al Madinah Highway, Jeddah Highway, Old Jeddah Road, Al Sail Road, Al Hada Road, AlLayth Road. Maintenance work included lighting, bridge expansion, fence repair, scraping and asphalting, as well upkeep of directional signs, road signs, road sign holders, paints, cat eyes, construction of concrete and metal barriers, and fence wires. Wadi Ash Shu’bah ferry also started its operation. Al-Jasser confirmed the readiness of all facilities and installations for Hajj. He sought the importance of cooperation of the entire transport users to comply with the necessary preventative measures against COVID-19. The number of passengers must not exceed 50% of the total accommodation capacity of the bus. Passengers must adhere to physical distancing inside the bus by following the recommended policy. A seat must be left vacant between two passengers. However, families can sit together. No one is allowed to stand inside the bus. All passengers must wear facemasks.

Hospitality Sales & Marketing International Middle East (HSMAI) is preparing for the future with training and events ready to further the skills of its hospitality professionals across the Middle East. HSMAI Middle East has prepared a comprehensive plan to focus on the future, with panel discussions, training workshops, surveys, and interviews on thought provoking topics. “We recognise that ‘life must go on’ and whilst we are holding ROC@Home with a focus on recovery, we also want to emphasise past trends that will return as an important part of our industry,” said Mona Faraj, Managing Director of HSMAI Middle East. ROC@Home, a full day experience taking place on Wednesday, June 17 will include live sessions from the Middle East, Americas, Europe and Asia Pacific, and is designed to fuel industry recovery and revitalisation efforts. The exclusive toolkit offers an opportunity to engage with teams, as well as regional live expert sessions designed for hotel professionals to reset, refocus and reenergise. ‘Demystifying Distribution’ will kick off the 4-session series on Monday, June 29 and is suitable for both General Managers and Marketing Managers who should understand distribution in today’s world. A trend that is steadily growing is the Chinese traveller, with annual growth in the double digits across areas of the Middle East pre COVID-19. This trend is anticipated to recover, and what better time to start planning to attract this active market. How to tap into the China Market will start with the foundations and continue with digital platforms, ending with advance digital and marketing essence. This series of three sessions will start from Wednesday, July 22. “We have received a strong response to date from industry colleagues globally for ROC@Home, …