Saudi Arabia – Page 5 – आवारा मुसाफिर

Arabian nights buzz: staycations boost Saudi tourism

August 27, 20211520 Views

When U.S. celebrity chef David Burke opened his second restaurant in Riyadh earlier in August, hudreds of Saudi men and women packed the venue to enjoy his dishes and fruity "mocktails" to a DJ's mix of Arabic and Western pop. While Saudis usually escape the desert country over the summer when temperatures can reach over 50 degrees Celsius, the coronavirus pandemic has seen them flock to restaurants and cafes in the open-air mall The Zone, bolstering Saudi Arabia's consumer sector. Saudi women sit at David Burke's restaurant, in The Zone restaurant complex, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia August 25, 2021. REUTERS/Ahmed Yosri Noura, 21, a Saudi hostess at one such upscale restaurant said she has been booking up tables weeks in advance. "Before, that would have been impossible in August...

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Saudi Arabia amongst the first to accept IATA Travel Pass

AWARA MUSAFIR BUREAU

August 18, 20211134 Views

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has welcomed the decision of the General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to accept IATA Travel Pass to confirm pre-departure COVID-19 test results for departing and arriving passengers starting 30th of September 2021. Eventually this acceptance will be expanded to vaccine certification. Man holding a passport with COVID-19 sign stamped onto a white paper, immunity passport or risk-free certificate concept, recovered Coronavirus COVID19 patients being issued proof of convalescence Travellers to/from KSA will have the choice of using either the IATA Travel Pass or Tawakkalna, the country’s national health app, owned and developed by Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA). IATA and...

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Saudi Arabia bars foreign travellers from Haj over COVID-19

AWARA MUSAFIR BUREAU

June 12, 2021808 Views

Saudi Arabia has restricted the annual Haj pilgrimage to its own citizens and residents for the second year running in response to the coronavirus pandemic, the state Saudi Press Agency (SPA)reported on Saturday. Only people aged between 18 and 65 who have been vaccinated or immunised against the virus, and are free of chronic diseases, will be able to take part, the ministry that manages the Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca said in a statement carried by SPA. FILE PHOTO: Muslim pilgrims wearing face masks and keeping social distance perform Tawaf around Kaaba during the annual Haj pilgrimage amid the coronavirus disease pandemic, in the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia July 31, 2020. Saudi Press Agency/Handout via REUTERS It also set a maximum of 60,000 participants. "The decision ...

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Saudi Arabia to reopen to foreign tourists soon

AWARA MUSAFIR BUREAU

May 18, 20211215 Views

Visitors from 20 countries including India continue to be banned Saudi Arabia plans to soon reopen to foreign tourists, a senior tourism official said on Monday after the kingdom announced the lifting of quarantine restrictions for certain foreign arrivals. The kingdom announced late on Sunday that non-citizens arriving from certain countries and who were fully vaccinated against or recently recovered from COVID-19 would no longer be required to quarantine in designated government hotels. FILE PHOTO: Tourists watch Saudi men perform a traditional folk dance at the cultural village of Rijal Almaa in the outskirts of Abha, Saudi Arabia. REUTERS/Ahmed Yosri Those new measures, however, only apply to residents, government and business travellers or those visiting friends and famil...

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One of world’s oldest series of monumental structures discovered

AWARA MUSAFIR BUREAU

April 29, 2021614 Views

AlUla reveals details of its new global hub for archaeology - the Kingdoms Institute -The Kingdoms Institute is providing the platform for pioneering scientific research and discovery in Arabia's 22,000 square kilometre Living Museum-Detailed study in AlUla and beyond uncovers one of the oldest monumental building traditions yet identified: 'This will transform how we view Neolithic societies.'-Researchers conducted an unprecedented aerial survey of AlUla and the surrounding region followed by extensive ground survey and targeted excavation. The Kingdoms Institute, the recently unveiled centre for archaeological research and conservation studies in AlUla, has announced a significant archaeological discovery in north-west Saudi Arabia: the monumental, complex structures called mustat...

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First woman competes at Middle East’s top falconry show

AWARA MUSAFIR BUREAU

December 8, 2020495 Views

Athari Alkhaldi stands out amid a sea of men and falcons at the Middle East’s top falconry competition: the first Saudi woman to qualify and participate in the event. “With my participation ... I proved I am here, that women can join this field, that it’s not only restricted to men,” she said, alongside her falcon Ma’aned. Falconry is an important part of the desert heritage of Arabs of Saudi Arabia and neighbouring countries going back thousands of years. Athari Alkhaldi, the first Saudi woman to qualify and participate in the King Abdulaziz Falconry Festival, holds a falcon during the show in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia December 1, 2020. Courtesy of King Abdulaziz Falconry Media Center/Handout via REUTERS The two-week King Abdulaziz Falconry Festival, which gathers more than 4,000 ...

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Saudi Arabia plans to resume tourist visas by early 2021

AWARA MUSAFIR BUREAU

September 28, 2020937 Views

Saudi Arabia plans to resume tourist visas by early 2021 after months of suspension amid strict government measures to prevent the spread of coronavirus, the kingdom’s tourism minister has said. Tourism is a key pillar of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s ambitious reform strategy to reduce the economy’s dependence on oil. The kingdom, which opened its doors to foreign tourists in September 2019 by launching a new visa regime for 49 countries, wants the sector to contribute 10% of gross domestic product by 2030. “For tourist visa, until now we are talking about early next year. If things get better or if any positive developments happen with regards to the vaccine, we might accelerate and have it earlier,” Ahmed al-Khateeb said in a virtual interview. In late-Februa...

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120 kg of gold threads and 100 kg of silver threads in New Kiswa at Kaaba

AWARA MUSAFIR BUREAU

July 30, 20201063 Views

The Kiswa, the finely embroidered black cloth that covers the holy Kaaba at the center of the Grand Mosque in Makkah, was replaced, as it is customary every year, on the eve of second day of Hajj when most worshipers have made the trek to Mount Arafat. One of the most beloved events of Hajj, the Kiswa replacement process, which took place on Wednesday night, is administered by the staff of the General Presidency for the Affairs of the Grand Mosque and the Prophet Mosque. The Kiswa is replaced once a year during Hajj after the pilgrims go to Mount Arafat for the peak day of Hajj in preparation for receiving worshippers the next morning, which coincides with Eid Al-Adha. Pilgrims marked on Thursday the second day of Hajj, known as Day of Arafat, as they left the h...

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Saudi Arabia readies for unprecedented Hajj amid Coronavirus pandemic

AWARA MUSAFIR BUREAU

July 26, 20201086 Views

This year’s Hajj pilgrims on Saturday finished the procedures of a weeklong home isolation, according to the health protocol approved for the major Islamic pilgrimage this year that begins next week. Pilgrims started arriving in Makkah, where they will undergo four days of quarantine at designated hotels in the holy city. The strict health protocol was approved by the Saudi government to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. Hajj begins on the 8th of Dhul Hijjah, the last month of the Islamic year 1441, and runs to the 12th or 13th of Dhul Hijjah, corresponding to July 28-August 2, 2020. The Saudi authorities decided to hold the pilgrimage in the midst of exceptional circumstances caused by the Coronavirus pandemic, necessitating strict precautionary measures that have been applied to ensure a...