Egypt- Public banks provide 750m riyals for tourism companies during Hajj
There are 108,000 Egyptians scheduled to perform the Hajj this season through the lottery, associations, and tourism companies. EgyptAir said it would allocate 63,000 seats for pilgrims on its flights to SaudiArabia starting 9 August.
Read article
285 flights to carry 221,000 Hajj pilgrims from Indonesia beginning July 27
As many as 285 wide body air carriers run by Indonesia's flag carrier Garuda Indonesia will start carrying a total of 221,000 Haj pilgrims from the island country which has the largest population of Muslims in the world.
Read article
179,210 Pakistani pilgrims to perform Hajj this year, says Hajj DG
Director General of Hajj Dr Sajid Yousaf, in Jeddah, said on Sunday that this year 179,210 Pakistani pilgrims will perform Hajj. The government scheme hajj includes 107,526 hujjaj, while the rest would perform hajj through private hajj operators, said a press release.
Read article
Saudi Haj minister inspects institutions in preparation for Haj 2017
Minister of Haj and Umrah Mohammed Saleh bin Taher Bentin has started inspection and field visits, as well as preparatory meetings with the board of directors for Tawafa owners in preparation for the coming Haj season.
Read article
WHO warns of cholera risk at annual hajj pilgrimage
A cholera epidemic in Yemen, which has infected more than 332,000 people, could spread during the annual haj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia in September, although Saudi authorities are well prepared, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday.
Read article
Local hajj this year: The tents and the costs
The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah announced the allocation of the camps for companies and institutions of local hajjis (Saudi nationals and expats), within the program of the public Hajj (pilgrimage) this year.
Read article
170,000 Indian pilgrims to perform Haj
The consul general said that this year an overwhelming majority of pilgrims prefer Aziziyah accommodation. “Out of the total 125,000 Haj Committee pilgrims, nearly 110,000 will stay in Aziziyah. There are 13,000 pilgrims in the Green category while around 2,500 will stay in rubat,” he said, while noting that this year the distance between the accommodation and the Haram in Green has been reduced from 1,500 meters to 1,000 with the rate staying the same.
Read article
Park Inn by Radisson opens in Makkah
Park Inn by Radisson, a midscale hotel brand of the Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group, has made its debut in the holy city of Makkah. The group has a large presence in Saudi Arabia with 35 hotels and more than 9,000 rooms in operation or under development.
Read article
GCC hotels report performance decline in Ramadan
In Saudi Arabia, Makkah reported an 8.8 per cent decline in revenues per available room. This was primarily due to a 7.9 per cent drop in occupancy rates, which reached 74.3 per cent. STR analyses that key religious tourism source markets for Makkah including Egypt and Indonesia are currently facing currency devaluations against the Saudi Arabian Riyal, making the destination less affordable to visitors from those markets.
Read article
Project signed to increase water supply in Makkah
Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture Abdulrahman Al-Fadhli awarded a project to build 17 strategic water reservoirs in Makkah’s Al-Sharay and Taif’s Al-Hada areas, each with a capacity of 170,000 cubic meters, totaling 2.9 million cubic meters of potable water, reported Al-Hayat newspaper.
Read article
14 mosques in Makkah being built in original architectural style
The Ministry of Islamic Affairs has began implementing the designs of 14 out of 50 mosques in the Makkan style to increase the Islamic identity of the surrounding Makkah environs.
Read article
KSA's rail system in Makkah looks to be moving along
The tender for Phase 2 of Makkah’s first rail system may be awarded by next year, an official close to the project has said. According to Benjamin Highfield, executive vice president of HKA, the construction claims group of Hill International, government officials are currently in talks to secure funding for the project after previous reports said it may have been shelved due to budgetary strains.
Read article