Riyadh: Smart cards to pass through passport control have been launched at two major airports in the kingdom and will soon be available for citizens and expatriate travellers at other airports in the country.

This was the announcement made by Lieutenant General Salim Mohammad Al Blaihid, Director-General of the Passports Department, at a press conference here.

Al Blaihid said the computerised cards will be free of charge. They can currently be used at five gates at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh and four gates at King Fahd International Airport in Dammam.

The Director-General of the Passports Department said the next stage will be to make the cards available at King Abdul Aziz International Airport in Jeddah. They will then be implemented at all other airports in the kingdom. There will be no registration forms needed for users of the cards and they can only be used at airports.

The cards will be granted to all citizens and expatriates. No one will be excluded from this project except those who have committed security offences, said Al Blaihid.

Digital map service

He said the cards will be made available at airports and various markets. Al Blaihid disclosed that training courses are being held for Directorate General of the Passports Department staff to deal with the public

Every pilgrim, on arrival at any of the kingdom’s airports, seaports or border posts, will receive a digital smart card with all information of the pilgrim saved on it, the General Cars Syndicate also told reporters yesterday.

A digital map service will also be launched to monitor buses on the internet and detect technical glitches, breakdowns, and if buses are abiding by the routes assigned to them. This is to keep a check on the performance of 17 transport companies that are providing 19,000 buses during this Haj season.

Through these measures, the Syndicate aims to reduce bus breakdowns and the time required for repairs, as well as streamlining the movement of pilgrims between Makkah, Madina and the holy sites.

The Syndicate plans to operate 120,000 trips for pilgrims between the holy sites and Makkah and Madina during the pilgrimage season. The plan will be put into operation by nearly 30,000 supervisors, members of administrative and technical committees, drivers and maintenance workers.

The focus of the Syndicate’s new transport plan is to ensure pilgrims perform their Haj rites with ease, comfort and peace of mind. Authorities are making use of the latest means of technology to streamline the process of receiving and correctly dispatching pilgrims to their residences.

With the growth of women’s travel in the region, boosted by the increasing number of travelling businesswomen from across the Arab world, Four Seasons Hotel Riyadh at Kingdom Centre is the first in the Kingdom’s capital to develop and offer a Female Traveller Program that is designed to meet the unique needs of the female guest.

Already the premier choice of discerning female travellers who appreciate the personalized service that is the hallmark of Four Seasons Hotel Riyadh, the Hotel’s Female Traveller Program complements the extensive range of superior services that are globally recognized as standard at Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts throughout the world.

“The greatest care and thought has been applied to developing this customised program based on anticipating what a women needs and wants on her travels and taking into consideration practical requirements while still paying attention to all the little details, resulting in relevant and intuitive service that can enhance the businesswoman’s experience at Four Seasons Hotel Riyadh,” says Tarek Bekhiet, director of marketing, Four Seasons Hotel Riyadh at Kingdom Centre.

As a fundamental part of the program, all rooms allocated for female guests are located as close as possible to the elevators, as part of the Hotel’s guest privacy policy.

Upon arrival to their room, women guests receive a welcome call from a female member of staff as well as a welcome note from the General Manager. Each room features a private bar stocked with healthy snacks, a selection of women’s magazines, while fresh flowers are provided on a daily basis. Other thoughtful touches include a sachet of pot pourri in the clothes closet, grooming amenities and soothing lotions, as well as therapeutic Dead Sea bath salts and flowers by the bathtub.

Abayas are provided on request from the concierge desk, while for the health-conscious, Four Seasons Hotel Riyadh has a separate female fitness facility complete with treadmills, step climbers, weights and other state-of-the-art equipment.

Now, female travellers visiting Riyadh can look forward to a stay experience enhanced by unrivalled service that is the ultimate in personalization.

Riyadh: As pilgrims started arriving from all over the world for the annual Haj which is due in the first week of November, authorities and agencies concerned are fully geared to extend them the best services.

The authorities are making use of the latest means of technology to streamline the process of receiving and dispatching pilgrims to their residences.

One of such services, introduced for the first time this year, is a digital map service to monitor buses on the Internet and detect technical glitches, breakdowns, and if buses are abiding by the routes assigned to them.

The Cars General Syndicate, which supervises the transportation of pilgrims, is launching the service with the support of Google Earth, said Abdu Bin Ahmad Yamani, assistant head of the syndicate. “This is to keep a check on the performance of 17 transport companies that are providing 19,000 buses during the current Haj season,” he said.

Speaking to reporters here on Saturday, Yamani said that the authorities have approved the plan aimed at ensuring smooth and safe transportation of the pilgrims. Through these measures, the Syndicate aims to reduce bus breakdowns and the time required for repairs, besides streamlining the movement of pilgrims between Makkah, Madinah and the holy sites.

The syndicate plans to operate 120,000 trips for pilgrims between the holy sites and Makkah and Madinah during the season. The plan will be put into operation by nearly 30,000 supervisors, members of administrative and technical committees, drivers and maintenance workers.

Referring to the e-services being extended by the syndicate, Yamani said that every pilgrim, on arrival at any of the Kingdom’s airports, seaports or border points, will receive a digital smart card with all information of the pilgrim saved on it.

“These cards will enable the officials at the entry points to complete the travel and visa procedures of the pilgrims swiftly,” he said.

According to Yamani, the syndicate has readied some 18 full-fledged automobile maintenance centres along the Haj route, such as expressways connecting Makkah, Madinah and Jeddah.

“There are mechanics and substitute drivers at these centres. The syndicate also arranged mobile workshops along the major land routes of pilgrims. Buses having engine problems or break downs will be attended to for repair within 50 minutes,” he said.

Meanwhile, the number of pilgrims arrived in Madinah by Friday evening reached 132,000. Of these, 995 pilgrims have left for Makkah after staying about one week in the Prophet’s city. Turkish pilgrims top among those arrived in Madinah.

British Airways has announced plans to ramp up the number of flights from London to Riyadh amid a surge in demand, the second such increase in less than six weeks.

The London-based carrier said in June it would increase the number of flights from five to six times a week, but said Wednesday it now planned to operate a daily flight to the Gulf city.

The added flights will begin in October and will see the carrier operate 12 flights a week.

“In response to this continuously growing demand, we quickly realised that the additional one flight a week from Riyadh, announced just over a month ago, wasn’t going to be sufficient,” said Paolo De Renzis, Regional Commercial Manager Middle East, in a statement.

“So, instead of adding one flight, we’ve decided to increase it to two, resulting in a daily service throughout the week from Riyadh beginning in end-October this year.”

The Riyadh service will be served using a Boeing 777, said British Airways.

The British carrier resumed its routes to the kingdom in 2009 after suspending all flights in 2003 amid heightened security fears.

Traffic from Saudi Arabia accounts for around 30 percent of the airline’s Middle East revenues.

Around 30,000 British expats live in Saudi Arabia.

NASAIR EXPANDS TO LAHORE

Riyadh, June 20 2011: nasair, the low fare airline based in Saudi Arabia, today announced it will launch new flights to Lahore, Pakistan on July 8. The airline will operate 4 weekly flights from Riyadh and 3 weekly flights from Jeddah, Seats will go on sale for an introductory price of SAR 399, inclusive of taxes, allowing passengers to book from today up to July 7 for travel through to October. These new flights will bring the number of nasair’s international destinations to 20 cities.

The addition of Lahore, Pakistan’s second largest city, to nasair’s international destinations will greatly expand the travel options available to Pakistani expats living and working in Saudi Arabia. The routes will be flown by nasair’s modern, comfortable Airbus A320 aircraft.

These critical route expansions, coupled with nasair’s recent addition of Karachi, the financial hub of Pakistan, will help support the travel of needs of the nearly 200,000 pilgrims who fly to the Kingdom every year from Pakistan.  Furthermore, by increasing its market share in Pakistan and diversifying smart travel options for passengers, nasair opens the door for the strengthening of bonds between the Kingdom and Pakistan, whether that be in terms of business or leisure.

Turki Al Jawini, Director of Sales, expressed his optimism by saying, “We are thrilled about our increased presence in Pakistan. Servicing the thriving markets in Karachi, and now Lahore, is an important step in our route expansion.  We are stead-fast and committed to being the smart choice for passengers throughout the MENA region and beyond. We believe that our punctual flights, smart services, competitive prices, and dedicated staff will efficiently serve passengers who fly between Saudi Arabia and Pakistan in a refreshing way.

Riyadh Travel Fair 2010

Riyadh Travel Fair (RTF 2011) gathers all the major tourism regional actors in one location. The Four-day Travel and Tourism Exhibition promises to provide detailed information to choose from perfect holidays, travel and tour packages, rail tourism packages, online rail reservation, airlines, cruise and where to stay from the favorite and unexplored destinations, hotels, resorts, palaces etc. around the country and abroad.

Riyadh, Apr 3 2011: nasair, the low fare carrier airline based in Saudi Arabia, recently participated in the 4^th Annual Saudi Travel & Tourism Investment Market (STTIM), an event aiming to promote the most successful and promising investment opportunities and tourism services and products that the region has to offer. A group of nasair team members committed themselves to greeting thousands of visitors, offering them gifts and information on the how-to’s of nasair’s operations, and on their newly expanded international reach.

nasair’s participation in the STTIM is one of the many recent achievements that mark the airline’s current commitment to revitalizing the organization, its operations and staff. nasair now operates 21 international destinations from Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam. The airline’s new route map indicates one of growth that focuses on density and efficiency rather than simple expansion.

Recently, nasair placed over half a million of its lowest fares on sale for travel through to October 2011, making it possible for passengers to book early and take advantage of competitively lower prices. The airline is also currently redesigning its web site to make it easier for customers to book flights and will soon be expanding available payment methods. nasair’s recent revitalization has translated into clear advantages for passengers and also motivated changes in passenger behavior,  as seen during its recent SAR11 promotion when over 20,000 passengers travelled at it’s lowest ever fare, with a 2300% increase in the number of passengers booking at least 8 weeks in advance of travel.

Turki Al Jawini, Director of Sales, says, “Our team here at nasair is proud of the progress we’re making. It was an honor to be a part of STTIM and be able to share information with peers and people from around the region about our new routes and how we have truly committed ourselves to being the definitive smart choice for those travelling to and from Saudi Arabia.”

Raffles Hotels & Resorts has opened its first hotel in Saudi Arabia in the holy city of Makkah.

Raffles Makkah Palace is located in the Abraj Al Bait complex, a seven-tower community directly adjoining the Masjid Al Haram (Grand Mosque) and the Kaaba.

Mohammed Arkobi, VP and MD of Fairmont Raffles Hotels International in Makkah.

Mohammed Arkobi, vice president and managing director of Fairmont Raffles Hotels International — Makkah, said the location gave Raffles “the opportunity to cater to the guests of the Holy City, making it a unique and one-of-a-kind experience”.

The 213-suite property is designed to offer “an extremely discrete yet highly refined residential sanctuary”, with personal butlers on hand to anticipate guests’ needs.

There are four outlets for guests to choose from: Najes, a stylish tea salon; Al Majlis serving Middle Eastern cuisine; Al Qasr combining international, Moroccan, Arabvic and Indian cuisines; and The Raffles Creamery, which presents customised Teppanyaki ice cream.

According to the hotel’s group director of communications and business development Khaled Yamak, the hotel signals a step forward for Saudi Arabia’s hotel market.

“Raffles Makkah Palace is considered a new step in the hospitality sector in Saudi Arabia. With its unique heartfelt service and enchanting accommodation, residents will feel the difference,” he said.

The hotel is designed to cater for both religious and business tourism, with a business centre and business rooms also available.

Raffles Makkah Palace is the first of three hotels operated by FRHI to open at the Abraj Al Bait complex.

Also underway are the Makkah Clock Royal Tower, a Fairmont Hotel — a 76 storey hotel with 858 rooms — and Swissotel Makkah, due to open in 2011.

Meanwhile in Makkah, Rotana has reported a “surge in visitor footfall” at its 426-room hotel Al Marwa Rayhaan, also close to the Grand Mosque and part of the Al Bait complex.

Suite at the Raffles Makkah Palace

Al Marwa Rayhaan by Rotana – Makkah GM Hany Khorshid said: “Al Marwa Rayhaan by Rotana achieved client satisfaction rate of 88% so far this month. At the same time, we are maintaining our commitment to deliver the highest levels of service quality to our guests to complement the corresponding business growth and the increasing investments in various hospitality and tourism infrastructure.
“Furthermore, with the arrival of the Holy Month of Ramadan, Al Marwa Rayhaan by Rotana is now prepared to accommodate a further surge in demand for hotel rooms and hotel facilities. Al Marwa Rayhaan by Rotana is particularly preparing for tourists from the UAE, Kuwait, Turkey and Egypt, which are traditionally the biggest markets for visitors during this season.”

Khorshid added: “We are now expanding our existing facilities and amenities that already include three world-class restaurants as well as transport facilities to and from the airport”.