Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Hajj and Umrah has released a video giving a sneak peek into how technology will change the way we perform Hajj and Umrah by 2030.
The video shows that in the future, every person going for Hajj or Umrah will be given a digital ID card along with an electronic bracelet and an earpiece.
Simply swiping the ID card at the airport will get pilgrims through Customs....
The Saudi Federation for Cybersecurity, Programming, and Drones, in partnership with Google and Egypt’s RiseUp is hosting the largest tech challenge to be ever held in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia – The Hajj Hackathon.
The 36-hour hackathon Hajj Hackathon will be held next month in Jeddah from August 1st to 3rd. It is open to tech entrepreneurs, designers, developers, and innovators from all...
All pilgrims from Malaysia and a section of pilgrims from Indonesia will have immigration pre-clearance facility from their embarkation points for the upcoming Haj. The Proof of Concept (POC) System for pre-clearance at the point of departure to Saudi Arabia is being implemented in coordination with the Saudi, Malaysian and Indonesian authorities. The uniform electronic path service dubbed...
Becky Smith spent her days at numerous schools in the area answering all sorts of questions about travels from other teachers. And after spending 17 years as a high school and middle school band director, she realized she had planned quite a few band trips and even some other trips for her own family. Eventually, she thought she might as well be getting paid for it.
She took the...
Makkah Emir Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, adviser to Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman, has ordered the formation of a high-level committee to address the observations made by individuals and organizations about Umrah services during Ramadan.
The committee will be chaired by Deputy Emir of Makkah Prince Abdullah Bin Bandar, and will have representatives from the Makkah Development...
With the haj season starting soon, the Saudi Ministry of Health has issued important health directives for this year.
Health requirements and recommendations for travelers to Saudi Arabia for haj and umrah focus on communicable diseases like Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV), Zika virus, dengue, yellow fever, meningitis and seasonal influenza.
INFLUENZA
The Ministry of...
Throughout the week we post dozens of original stories, connecting the dots across the travel industry, and every weekend we sum it all up. This weekend roundup examines digital trends.
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The next big questions hoteliers might soon be asking themselves: “Alexa, how do I make sure you recommend my hotels when they ask you where they want to stay?” Or, on the flip...
China Railway Construction Corporation Limited (CRCC) started on Wednesday the testing of the Mecca Light Rail in preparation for Hajj pilgrimage in August when millions of pilgrims will head to the holiest city in Islam.
CRCC, which was in charge of the construction of Mecca Light Rail, gained again the operation contract worth 350 million Saudi Arabian rials (93 million U.S. dollars) in...
Tourism Minister Arief Yahya is seeking to push Indonesia to the top of the 2019 Global Muslim Travel Index (GMTI), tempo.co reported on Tuesday.
The world’s halal destinations listed in the 2018 Global Muslim Travel Index ranked Indonesia second, after Malaysia. The archipelago stood at third place the year before, after Malaysia and the United Arab Emirates.
The GMTI, which was introduced...
JAKARTA – Saudi Arabia’s plan to issue tourist visas this year will not increase the number of Indonesian visitors to the kingdom unless they are integrated with the umrah, say Indonesia’s hajj, umrah and halal travel experts.
“For most Indonesian Muslims, they will not visit Mecca and Medina for anything else except for the religious pilgrimage,” Syam Resfiadi, chairman of industry...