Tag Archives: Saudi Arabia

The Radisson Collection Hotel in Riyadh – Nofa Resort Riyadh, is a once-in-a-lifetime experience in an exclusive retreat, and is now publicly bookable exclusively through their website. As tourism in Saudi Arabia begins to transform in line with Vision 2030, residents of large cities like Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam are embracing it by touring unexplored destinations. While many would usually leave Saudi Arabia during the summer months, the international travel ban has halted all trips abroad, resulting in an increased demand locally. Nationals and expatriates are venturing out, using the opportunity to discover Saudi’s rich heritage and culture as well as its breath-taking scenic beauty. “The Nofa Resort Riyadh, A Radisson Collection Hotel, is an iconic and exceptionally exclusive product which we previously operated as a private members-only resort. We have received numerous requests from individual guests wanting to experience the beauty of this Safari jewel in the Saudi desert and we are excited that the hotel is now publicly bookable and accessible to everyone.” said Tim Cordon, Area Senior Vice President, Middle East & Africa “ The international travel ban in Saudi Arabia has also been a driving force for the local demand with many searching for a peaceful sanctuary to escape to, while feeling completely free and safeguarded from the contraction and spread of COVID-19.” he added.

Saudi Arabia will partially lift the suspension of international flights from September 15, six months after travel restrictions were imposed because of the coronavirus pandemic. An official source of the Ministry of Interior announced through Saudi Press Agency that a royal approval has stated that lifting of complete restrictions, previously imposed due to the spread of coronavirus, on the departure and return of citizens to and from the Kingdom and allowing the opening of air, sea and land outlets will take place after the first of January 2021 The following categories of citizens will be allowed to travel outside the Kingdom and return to it according to certain requirements: A – Civilian and military governmental employees, assigned to official tasks; B – Personnel at the Saudi diplomatic and consular missions as well as attachés abroad and personnel at the regional and international organisations, their families and companions; C – Personnel at permanent jobs, in public, private or non-profit facilities, outside the Kingdom, and those who have job tasks in companies or commercial institutions outside the Kingdom. D – Businesspersons whose their business requires travel to conclude commercial and/or industrial activities as well as export, marketing and sales directors whose tasks obligate them to visit clients; E – Patients whose treatment requires the travel outside the Kingdom, based on medical reports, particularly cancer patients and patients in need of organ transplantation; F – Students on scholarships, or those studying at their own expense and trainees on medical fellowship programs whose studies or training require travel to the countries in which they study or train and their dependents. G – Those who have humane cases, particularly the following two cases: 1) A …

Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Tourism has announced the formation of the Tourism Development Fund to boost growth across the sector. The fund will launch a range of equity and debt investment vehicles, with an initial $4bn (SAR 15bn) capital and $45bn (SAR 165bn) in memorandum of understanding(MoU) already signed with private banks.The Tourism Development Fund, which has been approved by Saudi Arabia’s Council of Ministers, will collaborate with private and investment banks to support private-sector developments and incentivize further investment across the industry. “The Tourism Development Fund will play a critical role in developing outstanding tourism experiences and unlocking the full potential of Saudi Arabia as a destination. The launch of the fund at this time, as the tourism sector faces unprecedented global challenges, is testament to investor and private-sector confidence in the long-term outlook for tourism in Saudi Arabia. The social and economic importance of the sector cannot be understated: it drives growth and diversification, attracts international investment, creates job opportunities and enhances quality of life for millions of Saudis,” said His Excellency Ahmed Al-Khateeb, Minister of Tourism. The National Development Fund, chaired by His Royal Highness, Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, has approved the appointment of five board members, who will bring a wealth of experience and investment expertise to the Tourism Development Fund. Board members are: Her Highness Princess Haifa Mohammed Al Saud, Vice Minister of Strategy and Investment at the Saudi Ministry of Tourism; His Excellency IhsanBafakih, Governor of the Real Estate General Authority; Mr. Stephen Groff, Governor of the National Development Fund; Mr. Mohammed Omran Al Omran, Member of the Board of Directors at Saudi British Bank; and Mr. Mohammed Al-Hokal, Member of the Board …

Saudi Arabia announced the ratification of a new Tourism Development Fund to help realise the long-term potential of Saudi Arabia’s tourism sector. The fund will contribute to the development of tourism projects attracting local and international investments and tourists, in addition to supporting the private sector in developing new and existing tourism destinations to drive economic growth, diversification and job creation across the Kingdom. “Our region hosts close to 85 million international, regional and domestic tourists each year. Not only does tourism create jobs and support economies, it enhances quality of life and deepens cultural understanding and exchange. Supporting the industry is critically important to the Arab Tourism Ministers Council,” said His Excellency Ahmed Al-Khateeb, Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Tourism. He added, “The Middle East is leading the way on tourism readiness and we are committed to working together to ensure the health of all and develop innovative ways to reopen borders. We are putting measures in place so that we can safely welcome tourists back to share the diverse and unique treasures of the Arab region.” In 2019, across the Middle East and North Africa region the travel and tourism sector employed more than 4.6 million people and generated just under $120 billion in Gross Domestic Product (GDP). During the meeting, Ministers discuss substantive actions taken across the Arab world to support the tourism sector and prepare for recovery. Saudi Arabia became one of the first countries to support the World Travel and Tourism Council’s Safety Stamp, which aims to rebuild tourism confidence by standardising hygiene and safety protocols world-wide. Meanwhile, the United Arab Emirates has shared its preparatory plans for safe reopening, and Egypt has outlined investments in …

Etihad Airways has temporarily suspended all flights between Abu Dhabi and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, in response to a directive from the General Authority for Civil Aviation, Saudi Arabia, to help prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus. The airline operates up to 12 flights per day between Abu Dhabi and Saudi Arabia. It has cancelled a total of seven flights today between Abu Dhabi and the Saudi cities of Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam and Medina, and is now advising passengers who were booked to travel today. Another four flights which were en-route to Saudi Arabia at the time of the directive were permitted to land. When flights arrived in Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam, nationals of Saudi Arabi were permitted to disembark but all other passengers remained on the aircraft, which will return to Abu Dhabi. The fourth flight operated to Medina to repatriate Umrah passengers. In addition to the flight suspensions to and from the UAE, Saudi Arabia has also banned Saudi nationals and Saudi residents from travelling to countries including the UAE and on passengers travelling from or transiting through Bahrain, Kuwait, Lebanon, Syria, Italy, Egypt and Korea. Etihad Airways is working closely with regulatory authorities in the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia and is continuing to monitor this situation closely. For passengers impacted by the flight cancellations, procedures are in place for fare refunds or for flight changes when services resume.

Holders of US, UK or Schengen visas can now obtain a visa on arrival in Saudi Arabia, it has been announced recently. The move comes in line with the Kingdom’s recent implementation of tourist visas. While holders of American, UK and Schengen visas will now be able to obtain a tourist visa on arrival, they are not eligible for the electronic visa system. However, the visitor must have already used his US, UK or Schengen visa to visit the respective countries before arriving in Saudi Arabia.

In a bid to promote the destination as a touristic hub in the Middle East, Saudi Arabia took several initiatives recently. Her Highness Princess Haifa Mohammed Al Saud – Vice President of Strategy and Planning, Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage (SCTH) stated that they have launched four types of visas to provide an opportunity for more travellers to visit the kingdom. In this regard, there are 49 countries who could apply for the visit visa option online to book their visa within just three minutes or visa upon arrival. For the remaining countries they can still go to the embassy and apply for the visa. There are four different travel purposes under this scheme; Umrah, leisure, visit family and MiCE. You have different options, it is a 300 Riyals visa with multiple entry for 90 days and valid for one year. There is an additional medical insurance that could also be obtained at the time of application for the visa. Her Highness stated, “In terms what we are doing to further attract people to the destination we conducted a consumer surveyor with 20,000 pool of people from 17 countries and we have realised that one of the key issues is awareness and not enough information on the destination of Saudi Arabia hence we are strengthening the communication element with our strong campaign to give the people to feel the beauty of Saudi Arabia as a first step. We are starting with four key destinations and we have developed 15 sites that are ready around each of the four destinations which include Riyadh, Jeddah, Madina and the eastern province and three more destinations to be added and 38 total …

OYO Hotels & Homes welcomed over 100,000 guests from 78 countries across 14 properties and 20 homes in the UAE, since its launch in April last year. With this lease and full inventory control model, OYO currently manages 1,300 rooms within these properties in Dubai, Sharjah, Ras Al-Khaimah and Fujairah and is set to touch 12,000 rooms by 2020. Since the first 9 months of its launch, the hotel chain has received guests from within the UAE, which accounted for 45.73 per cent of their guests and the remaining from countries such as India, Oman, Saudi Arabia, France, Russia, United States, Australia, Italy, Nigeria, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Mauritius and United Kingdom, among several other counties. OYO aims to grow its market share through its ‘Manchise’ business model — a unique business model that combines the best of management contract and franchise agreement. Through this model, OYO aims to grow its footprint within the two-, three- and four-star hotels in the UAE.  With nearly 15.8 million overnight visitors in 2017, Dubai retained its ranking as the fourth most visited city in the world for the fourth year in a row, according to Mastercard’s Global Destination Cities Index. Dubai was ahead of Singapore, followed by New York, Kuala Lumpur, Tokyo, Istanbul, and Seoul. Manu Midha, Regional Head — Middle East, OYO Hotels & Homes, said, “OYO has now grown to become a preferred choice for several nationalities across the globe due to its ideal location, quality and also the price point. At the moment, we have touched around 78 countries and we are going to take this number higher due to the upcoming EXPO 2020. With 190 nations already signed up, we are confident that our …

Saudi Arabia’s maritime sector is set to receive an allocation of SAR 33 billion (USD 8.8 billion) for the energy, industry, mining and logistics sectors, according to its recently announced budget for 2019. The 2nd Saudi Maritime Congress, to be held on March 11 and 12 at the Four Seasons Hotel Riyadh, Kingdom Centre, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, will examine these budgetary implications on this sector, focus on the growth of intra-regional trade and the booming north-south network, analyse the changing regulatory environment and study existing project opportunities. Held under the patronage of the Saudi Ports Authority (MAWANI) and in partnership with Bahri, the event is expected to set new trends in the shipping and logistics industry, providing extraordinary insights into the country’s ambitious growth agenda and consolidate Saudi Arabia’s position as a global trading hub and a strategic gateway to Asia, Africa and Europe. Chris Hayman, Chairman, Seatrade, said: “We are pleased to organise the Saudi Maritime Congress for the second time, following the great success of the first edition in 2014. Against the background of global change, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 plan is set to transform the Saudi economy, with massive consequences for its maritime and logistics sectors. This event will provide a unique opportunity to see at first hand the scale and nature of the developments which are now unfolding in the Kingdom, as it consolidates its role as a major industry player and as a global logistics hub.”

Tens of thousands of visitors have visited the National Festival of Heritage and Culture, the 33rd edition of Janadria, organised by the Ministry of National Guard under the slogan ‘Faithfulness and Loyalty.’ The heritage village at the festival as well as the shows of the folk groups from various regions of Saudi Arabia and some Arabian Gulf countries are popular and have become a milestone in the most beautiful elements of the tangible and intangible cultural heritage of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Janadria is the largest cultural festival in Saudi Arabia and the largest event of its kind in the world that is being held for 21 days during the period from December 20, 2018 to January 9, 2019 as part of efforts to intensify attention to the Saudi heritage and regional and international visibility. In addition, it promotes a dialogue of cultures and civilisations between nations and people. The heritage village at Janadria is attracting thousands of families from different age groups, in addition to the artisans who are present throughout the festival area, especially in the folk market. The National Festival of Heritage and Culture offers heritage lovers a unique application which includes a complete definition of the Janadria Festival, a map of the stands and elements of the festival, activities and updated news about the festival on a daily basis. The folk groups programme is one of the most important pillars of the festival and there are more than 700 people that reflect the folk heritage, customs and traditions of all regions of Saudi Arabia and the GCC countries of the UAE, Bahrain and Oman.