Makkah’s hotel sector is witnessing a significant resurgence, with room occupancy in central areas hitting 100 percent during the last 10 days of the holy month of Ramadan, the highest level since the pandemic.
Bassam Khanfar, manager of one of the hotels in the Aziziyah neighborhood, said that this year had seen an increase in the number of Umrah pilgrims, with occupancy rates returning to pre-pandemic levels.
The resurgence is mainly due to facilities offered by the Kingdom to pilgrims from abroad. Investors and hotel owners have been quick to take advantage by opening their facilities.
Khanfar added that given the geographical distribution of Makkah’s hotels, it was clear that the new transportation network had helped those hoteliers outside the central area to cater for a fair share of Umrah pilgrims.
He said: “One of the most important reasons for pilgrims choosing their accommodation places outside the central area is the very high prices of hotels in the central areas.”
Hani Najah, director of the commercial department at Address Makkah Hotel, said that Umrah pilgrims were primarily concentrated in the central area around the Grand Mosque.
However, he added: “The Makkah Bus Project has enabled pilgrims to choose hotels located in other areas in Makkah, with buses linking these areas to the Grand Mosque. This has helped in reviving those areas, especially those hotels under four stars.”
The price for a hotel room with a view ranges from between SR4,000 ($1,000) to SR10,000 per night for five-star hotels. The average price per room is between SR2,500 and SR3,000, and between SR800 and SR1,100, for five-star and four-star hotels respectively outside the central area.
Arwa Al-Ahmadi, who specializes in the tourism and hotels sector, said: “Hotel occupancy this year is very high, reflecting the strength of the sector, with rooms occupancy rate in some hotels hitting 100 percent, a percentage that was hindered by global conditions due to the COVID-19 outbreak in past years.
"The demand is high, the entire sector is reviving, and job opportunities have become possible and favorable."
Al-Ahmadi said that the holy city contains more than 1,400 hotels, and added: “[The] Makkah region is crowded throughout the year and the occupancy rate varies, but recently, thanks to the wise decisions of our government, allowing pilgrims to come from abroad, the occupancy rate has increased, reaching their fullest in some hotels.”
Al-Ahmadi added that the Haramain train, and the free buses from the airport, had helped to facilitate transportation to reduce congestion.
Ali Fallatah, director of operations at Address Hotel, said that the increase in hotel occupancy had been helped by greater accessibility to visas, and the four-day transit period inside Saudi Arabia.
Al-Sudais: Over 21 million worshipers attend Prophet’s Mosque during first two-thirds of Ramadan
Dr. Abdulrahman Al-Sudais, president of the General Presidency for the Affairs of the Two Holy Mosques, said that over 21 million worshipers have attended the Prophet’s Mosque during the first two-thirds of Ramadan, an increase of 49 percent over the same period last year.
He noted that the total number of worshipers from the start of the month of Muharram this year has so far reached more than 169 million worshipers.
Al-Sudais stressed that the general presidency has made all necessary arrangements at the mosque, providing everything to support worshipers and visitors to perform their rituals with ease and comfort.
Ramadan Season revives the Saudi identity through Hawiyah Hayah Nights
In conjunction with World Art Day on April 15, the Saudi Ministry of Culture and the Royal Institute of Traditional Arts organized the Hawiyah Hayah Nights event for the second time in Riyadh to introduce traditional crafts during Ramadan.
The event provides workshops and entertaining shows to explore surrounded by Ramadan decorations and a traditional atmosphere.
TRITA was established two years ago in Riyadh and began as a program by the ministry to combine culture and heritage, to invite people to discover some of Saudi Arabia’s more fascinating aspects.
The institute was later separated into an independent institute offering three programs to teach traditional Saudi artwork, crafts, and textiles to revive the identity of the Saudi heritage.
Hawiyah Hayah Nights was a product of the collaboration between the ministry and the institute, in partnership with the Theater and Performing Arts Commission.
“I wanted to check the Saudi identity, the Najd identity, and how they did everything regarding carpets, crafting, and everything related to the Saudi identity,” said Fouad Hassan, a visitor at the event.
Moreover, one of the programs offered by TRITA is the continuous learning program, where students are introduced to various forms of Art to preserve their identity. Examples of activities done by the institute include performed arts and visual arts.
Examples of activities done by the institute include performed arts and visual arts.
The event included a storytelling session with a narrator telling popular traditional tales, and a play illustrating a Saudi traditional game called alqaees. The play was a participation by the Theater and Performing Arts Commission at the event.
Nourah Alshuhail, a student at TRITA, who was also participating in the event, talked about her experience at the institute and what led her to join the event. “I joined the institute because I love arts. I am originally an artist, I draw,” she said.
“I registered for the embroidery program, in drawing by embroidery, in a two-week session. Then, it was very joyful for me. So, I continued learning with the institute since,” she added.
No comments:
Post a Comment