Umrah-Plus visas
________________________
Saudi Arabia to relax visa rules
for foreign tourists to Islamic sites
Friday, May 10, 2013
Saudi Arabia will relax visa rules to allow foreigners to visit certain Islamic and historical sites. Prince Sultan bin Salman Al Saud, Chairman, Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities, said that from this year Saudi would issue
‘Umrah-Plus’ visas, which would permit supervised tours of other sites to those visiting the country on Islamic pilgrimages, a report in arabianbusiness.com stated. The conservative Gulf kingdom currently does not issue tourist visas to travellers.
“The month-long visa can also be used for tourism. What changed is that we’re now moving to Islamic history sites to revive those to make them more presentable and to create museums and experiences,” Prince Al Saud said. He added that the Saudi government was investing “a lot of money” in building and renovating about 30 museums and Islam-themed attractions in Makkah and Medinah. “There are a lot of heritage hotels now being constructed in small villages with mud and stone. We’re serious about reigniting the heritage of Saudi Arabia,” he said.
Last year the country saw tourism revenues rise ten per cent to SR (Saudi Riyal) 61.8 billion, the majority of which is derived from Islamic pilgrimages and visitors from other GCC nations, who do not require visas.
Prince Al Saud said that tourism was a major contributor to the country’s efforts to increase employment among nationals. “Tourism is the second most Saudiazed economic sector, with 28 per cent. That’s big for a sector that is new and not yet been fully supported. We’re serious about making tourism a major player in the economy and also in job creation, and keeping Saudis in Saudi Arabia,” he added.
Prince Al Saud hoped that the country would be able to emulate some of Dubai’s success in becoming an East to West travel hub. “People can stop, perform Umrah, and connect from Madinah or from Makkah. We also connect from airports like Riyadh, and Ha’il and Jizan for cargo and support,” he said. “We have the added advantage of the location of Saudi Arabia, the accessibility of Saudi Arabia, the airports, the abundance of fuel, and the services,” he said.
http://www.travelbizmonitor.com/saud...ic-sites-20329
Saudi tourism may get a boost from
easing of visa rules
Thursday, May 09, 2013
Dubai: Saudi Arabia may soon drop its barriers to GCC residents that want to explore other areas of the kingdom. “Soon, we will announce new visa packages for travellers to the kingdom,” said Prince Sultan Bin Salman Bin Abdul Aziz, President of Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA), during a forum at the Arabian Travel Market (ATM) on Tuesday.
He added that visitors to Makkah and Madinah “want to visit more of the country”.
Saudi Arabia issues a number of visas to non-GCC nationals, designed for the purposes of business, family visits, Umrah and Haj, among others. Yet, there are no tourism visas in the kingdom.
While the exact time of when these visa packages will be launched remains unknown, travellers can expect something else in the short term. Due to be implemented in late December this year is the Umrah Plus programme, which allows travellers to go on trips to other cities in the country after they perform Umrah, according to Abdullah S. Al Jehani, vice-president for marketing and programmes at SCTA.
This leaves non-Muslim visitors with fewer options. Their entry is limited to business engagements, Al Jehani said.
Saudi Arabia’s marketing efforts are targeted at GCC countries, its strongest international markets, as well as nationals and residents of the kingdom, according to Al Jehani.
While the country welcomes millions of pilgrims every year, Islamic tourism is not Saudi Arabia’s only focus. “We focus our marketing on Saudi Arabia’s business activities, such as exhibitions, and antiquities,” he said.
The capital city Riyadh is home to a number of trade exhibitions. The Riyadh Exhibitions Company (REC) has organised more than 330 shows in the last 30 years, across different sectors, including food and beverages, automotives and energy, and has attracted international participants from over 40 countries.
Business tourism in the kingdom has shown modest growth over the last few years. “Business tourism in the country is growing at a rate of four per cent year-on-year, and it is expected to reach double-digits in the next two to three years.” Al Jehani said. He added that there were more than two million business trips in Saudi Arabia last year.
Meanwhile, the country’s antiquities or cultural artifacts are being emphasised in the country’s marketing efforts. The SCTA, which participated at ATM this week, exhibited various products that cities across Saudi Arabia have to offer. The kingdom is expected to host 15.8 million tourists by 2014, according to Business Monitor International (BMI), an international industry consultant.
The hospitality sector is showing strong signs of growth to keep up with rising inflow of tourists. Around 178,870 hotel rooms are expected to be delivered in Saudi Arabia by 2017, with occupancy rates rising to 63 per cent, according to BMI. There are several hotel brands in the country, including Rotana, Hyatt Hotels and Resorts and Accor.
Additionally, Saudi Arabia has been ramping up efforts in developing its infrastructure, with major rail and road projects expected to be delivered in the coming years.
Saudi Arabia has 35 airports that are being developed, expanded or upgraded. These will have a combined capacity of handling 82 million passengers by 2016.
http://www.zawya.com/story/Saudi_tou...052013_100525/ 
