New report says progress on major infrastructure enhancements are expected to boost Makkah’s tourism capacity
Makkah Grand Mosque
Grand Mosque expansion Makkah
In pictures: Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman visits Makkah Grand Mosque
HRH Prince Mohammed Bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince, Minister of Defence, and Vice President of the Council of Ministers visit to review the status of the Saudi holy city of Makkah Grand Mosque current expansion project.
Binladin Group
Makkah crane crash retrial to begin on Wednesday
Makkah’s Summary Court ruled that none of the victims in the incident that involves construction giant Saudi Binladin Group will receive compensation from the company
BBC
BBC pulls Bake Off star’s Makkah pilgrimage TV series
UK broadcast giant axes TV series in which Great British Bake Off star Nadiya Hussain was to make a pilgrimage to Makkah
Hajj
‘Green hajj’ slowly takes root in Saudi holy city of Makkah
Thousands of cleaners are busy separating plastic from other rubbish as more than two million Muslims wrap up a pilgrimage to Makkah
Hajj
Revealed: Saudi Arabia’s hajj pilgrimage in numbers
Every hour, officials estimate an average of 107,000 pilgrims circle the Kaaba, the black cube at the centre of Makkah’s Grand Mosque
Hajj
Hajj pilgrims in Saudi holy city outnumber last year
Number of Hajj pilgrims in the Saudi holy city of Makkah has already exceeded last year, according to the country’s General Authority for Statistics
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Hajj
2 million gigabytes: how Saudi hajj pilgrims stay in touch
Saudi authorities announce initiative to provide a total of two million gigabytes for the two million pilgrims performing Hajj this week
Hajj
Two million pilgrims descend on Makkah for ‘smart hajj’
Saudis have launched a smart hajj initiative om 2018, with apps to help pilgrims with everything from travel plans to medical care
Hajj
Makkah travel bookings up 20 percent ahead of Hajj
Pakistan saw the greatest increase when compared to 2017, according to statistics from Travelport
Hajj
Over 1 million pilgrims arrive in Saudi Arabia for Hajj
Directorate General for Passports has announced a near-7% increase in arrivals compared to last year’s Hajj
H Hotel
Abu Dhabi firm picked to run new luxury Makkah hotel
Saudi developer Jabal Omar Development Company says that H Hospitality Collection will manage its new five-star hotel in Saudi holy city
construction projects
New Makkah mega project said to add $2.1bn to Saudi economy
JLL says Rou’a Al Haram Al Makki will boost overall sentiment in Makkah’s real estate market
Dubai International Airport
Emirates reveals plan to cope with rising Saudi Hajj demand
Dubai airline says it will be operating extra flights to Jeddah and Madinah while putting on special services for pilgrims
Hotels
Makkah hotels post multi-year April lows for occupancy, room rates
STR says occupancy was the lowest for an April since 2010, while absolute average daily rate was the lowest for the month since 2007
AccorHotels
Hotel giant launches portal for Saudi pilgrimage
AccorHotels unveils platform to provide essential information for pilgrims visiting Makkah, Madinah and surrounding areas in Saudi Arabia
crane collapse
Crane collapses at Grand Mosque in Makkah
The driver of the crane was the only one to sustain any sort of injuries, which were described as being ‘slight’