Saudia has confirmed its position as the key sponsor and official airline partner for the upcoming third Hajj and Umrah Services Conference and Exhibition 2024, set to be held from January 8…
The International Christian Embassy Jerusalem welcomed to Israel some 3,000 Christians from more than 80 nations to attend its annual Feast of Tabernacles celebration.
Israel Tourism is delighted to announce the recent addition of Sussita to the booking system for Mass and Prayers ceremonies in the Holy Land, joining the sites of Caesarea Philippi, Kursi,…
SriLankan Airlines relaunched flights between Colombo and Jeddah on 15 August 2023, and was honoured to fly a group of Umrah Pilgrims from Tiruchirappalli, India on the inaugural flight to…
With the commencement of the Hajj season and upcoming Eid Al Adha celebrations, Emirates is layering on additional flights to key regional destinations to meet significant travel demand…
Saudi Arabia and Israel are continuing to cultivate "advanced contact" to facilitate direct flights to the Kingdom for Palestinians and Israeli Muslims intending to travel for the annual…
Despite growing fears of civil unrest, millions of people are expected to visit Jerusalem this year as part of a religious pilgrimage or religious tourism to the Holy Land.
Continuing to elevate the travel experience, Oman Air Holidays has partnered with Muzn, National Bank of Oman’s Islamic banking window, to offer flexible financing plans for Umrah packages.
The sub-Committee on Air-Charter of the Hajj Committee of India (HCoI) took a series of decisions and deliberations including ways for reducing the fare of airlines, paying airlines by…
The Chief Minister of Rajasthan in India, Ashok Gehlot has said that his government wants to develop the state as a centre of religious tourism, for which places of worship should be…
On a trial basis, Radio-Frequency Identity Cards (RFID) have been introduced for pilgrims visiting the Vaishno Devi shrine atop Trikuta hills in Jammu and Kashmir’s Reasi district. Over 60…
Taj Hotels has unveiled, ‘Divinity Trails at the Taj’ – new experiences across key destinations in India. Spiritual or religious tourism in India accounts for 60% of total domestic…
Remember culture shock? A common phenomenon for travellers a decade ago, where travellers would arrive in a new place and step outside of their comfort zone to pursue the unfamiliar. It was…
The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), the global body that represents the private sector of the travel and tourism industry, has announced a partnership with the Saudi…
The Himachal Pradesh government has approved the draft of the new tourism policy in the state aimed at holistic development of tourism. The state cabinet has approved ‘Capital Investment…
The Old City of Jerusalem has become more accessible for both wheelchair users and the visually impaired, thanks to improved infrastructure and audio apps to help residents and visitors…
Sterling Holidays, experiential holiday brand, has unveiled its new property in Guruvayur, Kerala. The launch comes after Sterling’s big announcement on expanding its footprint, through…
Cathay Pacific and Korea Tourism Organisation have joined hands to provide travellers with even more reasons to explore Seoul, Jeju and Busan. Listed as one of the airline’s top Eid and…
The world received its first dynamic booking engine, aimed squarely at the Muslim travel market, with the launch of Rihaala.com today.
Discussing the unveiling of the new online travel…
To celebrate the holy month of Ramadan and embrace the spirit of giving, Haitham Mattar, chief executive officer of Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority (RAKTDA) invited over 50…
Following on from our story, Holi 2019: Top 10 Indian destinations to celebrate the festival of colours, looking at the best celebrate India’s chromatic, also known as the 'Festival of…
AirAsia has announced it is stepping up its Indian coverage with the launch of a new service from Thai capital, Bangkok to the holy city of Gaya in the northeast Indian state of Bihar.
Leisure Hotels Group, the largest hotel chain in Uttarakhand with presence in Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh & Goa, has resumed its operations in all Char Dhams, post monsoon by…
Pakistan is limbering up to become a tourist destination and will use the adventure and heritage holiday-maker markets as its starting point, officials have said.
“There’s a variety.…
The Holy Week in the Philippines is the most significant religious event in the country. As a Filipino, I thought I'd share with you some interesting things that happen during this week,…
The Government of India has agreed to facilitate the travel of Sri Lankan pilgrims through a ferry from Kankasanthurai in the North to Chennai in the State of Tamil Nadu.
Karma Group have announced the acquisition of a new property in Dharamshala, in the upper reaches of the Kangra Valley in India. Dharamshala is the adopted home of the Dalai Lama and the…
The Cultural Corps of Korean Buddhism is a network of about 130 temples throughout the country which keep the richness of traditional Korean culture and history alive. All year long, the…
The Jerusalem Development Authority (JDA) has announced the launch of a package of discounts for young professional tourists visiting Jerusalem on a city break.
Aimed at millennials…
Great Rail Journeys has released its 2018 Brochure Preview Europe, UK & Cruising by Rail, including three itineraries in 2020 taking customers to celebrate The Oberammergau Passion Play.…
Established Saudi hospitality firm, Makarem Hotels, has revealed plans to expand its presence in the Kingdom.
The company, part of Riyadh-based Dur Hospitality Company, is eyeing…
Malaysia is honing in on the niche tourism experiences the Asian destination can offer international travellers.
The biggest promotional push is for eco-tourism, with destinations…
The distinguished panel of judges who will name the finalists of the 2nd edition of World Halal Tourism Awards has been announced.
The panellist represent top halal tourism industry…
HalalBooking.com has won the ‘Islamic Economy Award in Hospitality and Tourism 2016’.
The online travel agency, which is focused on the needs of Muslim travellers, was presented with the…
Total spending on halal tourism in the UAE is projected to increase by 4.4% in 2016, according to a study conducted by the Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DCCI).
The outbound…
India's government has pledged to develop its Buddhist sites for tourism.
Addressing the fifth International Buddhist Conclave, India's Minister of Tourism & Culture, Dr Mahesh…
International Travel Week Abu Dhabi (ITW Abu Dhabi), the world’s only global platform addressing key tourism niche markets such as Halal, medical, shopping and family-friendly sector…
The brand new airport serving the Indian city of Shirdi will open in the first week of November, officials have said.
The Economic Times reported Vishwas Patil, managing director of…
Taiwan, rated the 10th best destination for Muslim travellers outside the Organization of Islamic Cooperation member states by Global Muslim Travel Index, is promoting its halal-friendly…
Projects designed to expand capacity at Makkah's Grand Mosque and other Islamic holy sites will be completed in about three years, enabling Saudi Arabia to accommodate more pilgrims,…
With 25,000 pilgrims estimated to be heading overseas to Saudi Arabia from the UK for Hajj in the next few days and spending up to £125 million on their travel arrangements, ABTA is warning…
Fairmont Hotels & Resorts has released a visual guide to Hajj to help guests who are embarking on the holy Islamic pilgrimage to Makkah.
This infographic, produced in collaboration…
Touring specialist Cosmos Tours has entered the European specialist interest market for 2017 with a new range of culinary and religious tours based on customer demand for this type of…
The World Halal Travel Summit & Exhibition (WHTS) has been recognised as a pioneer in the global halal travel market by Salam Standard, the innovative online hotel reference tool…
Saudi Arabia will introduce electronic identification bracelets for all pilgrims to Makkah starting this year, Saudi media said on Thursday.
It’s part of a safety drive a year after the…
India’s South Central Railway (SCR) will run 500 special trains in August 2016 to cater for an expected rise in passenger demand during the Krishna Pushkaram festival, which occurs once…
Hotel occupancy rates in Makkah reached 90% due to Umrah pilgrims and visitors for the Umrah season and mid-academic year vacations.
Sources in the hospitality sector in Makkah say…
Thousands of Hindu temples in southern India have started banning anyone wearing "western" clothes, The Guardian reports.
A court order was issued last month decreeing that jeans,…
Indonesian hotel group Archipelago International has formed a new partnership aimed at improving its services for Muslim travellers.
The company has teamed up with Salam Standard,…
India's Southern Railways will add 294 special trains to cope with an expected surge in passenger demand during the forthcoming Sabarimala pilgrimmage season.
The Economic Times…
A special train for India's Buddhist tourism circuit launched on Saturday.
The Economic Times reports that the special pilgrimmage train will operate a total of six journeys between…
Kuoni is aiming to drive more group bookings in the religious travel sector, with the launch of a new range of itineraries from its Travel Bound Groups unit.
Travel agents can now…
The World Halal Travel Summit & Exhibition (WHTS15) opened its doors to industry professionals today.
The event will showcase 200 exhibitors, 20 free to attend seminar sessions…
The booming religious tourism industry in Saudi Arabia is quantified with number of pilgrims coming for Umrah.
This has been increasing annually, economists are estimating the Umrah…
The World Halal Travel Awards has opened nominations across 15 award categories, including Best Halal Tour Operator and Best Family Friendly Hotel.
The World Halal Travel Awards are the…
The world’s first ever B2B global aggregator of comprehensive Halal tourism products has seen a rush of companies join its platform.
More than 100 travel agents and tour operators from…
Although Brazilian tourism benefited from increased awareness underpinned by the 2014 FIFA World Cup and 2016 Rio Olympics, it is religious tourism that is paving the way for the country’s…
HalalTrip has launched the multi-functional next generation prayer calculator which has been integrated with the latest technologies.
The mobile app gives Muslim travellers a simple…
Participants in the Madinah Forum for Labour Market and Employment expect business generated by Hajj and Umrah to reach SAR6.22 billion.
This expectation is following completion of…
Muslims globally can now share their Halal food experiences.
HalalTrip recently announced the launch of a new app, making place discovery and trip planning easier.
The new app…
Saudi Arabia has announced plans to expand its low-cost Hajj programmes.
This new development was announced by minister of Hajj, Bandar Hajjar. He further mentioned that officials are…
Christmas is traditionally a family occasion, but not for everybody. In fact a recent survey revealed that one quarter of Brits have spent at least one Christmas day home alone in the last…
Nigeria now has a new Saudi visa processing centre. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Saudi Arabia has recently mandated VFS TasHeel International the responsibility to manage and…
The city of Yanbu recently welcomed the announcement of 27 major investment projects. These announcements were made during an investment forum by municipal and rural affairs minister…
In an effort to cash in on the growing religious tourism segment, the Anjum Hotel Makkah recently showcased its pilgrim services in Istanbul. The Anjum project looks to add an additional…
The UNWTO has hosted its first International Congress on Tourism & Pilgrimages, in an effort to boost the spiritual tourism sector.
The event is taking place at the Spanish city…
The Saudi government has launched a new awareness campaign to educate Saudis and expatriate workers on the importance of obtaining Haj permits ahead of the annual pilgrimage.
The Right…
The arrival of foreign Haj pilgrims is gaining momentum in the holy cities of Makkah and Madinah and flow is expected to increase. The civil aviation authorities have notified the Haj…
Hajj revenues this year are projected to reach almost SAR32 billion, a three-percent increase from the SAR31 bn spent in 2013, according to a recent study conducted by Makkah Chamber of…
Kuwaiti authorities have accredited 50 Hajj operators this year who have all met official requirements.
“We urge all those who plan to perform pilgrimage this year to register with…
The government has rejected calls from local companies and agents abroad to increase the 15-day limit on Umrah visas during Ramadan, as reported in Arab News.
In addition, the…
The second phase of massive on-going expansion project inside Makkah's Grand Mosque is almost complete, with the first floor area for circumambulation around the House of God, expected…
The number of Muslims performing the Umrah pilgrimage is expected to increase with the advent of Ramadan. Latest statistics reveal that around 5.3 million pilgrims have entered the…
The member states of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) are considering ways of boosting Islamic Tourism during the 1st International Forum of the Organisation on Islamic…
An exclusive hotel will be opened for pilgrims who miss their flights at the Haj terminal of King Abdulaziz International Airport (KAIA), as reported by Arab News.
“A hotel has been…
The Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) will connect pilgrim destinations in India and Nepal.
The railways will run a sepcial train starting from Chennai to…
Al Marwa Rayhaan in Makkah announced its plans to attract 20% more visitors in 2014. Makkah hosted 1,980,249 pilgrims for the 2013 Hajj, with almost 1.4 million coming from outside KSA.…
Uttarakhand is pushing itself as a year-round destination.
The state government will commence the annual Chardham and Hemkund Sahib Yatra from May 2014. The government of Uttarakhand…
Growing domestic tourism, influx of tourists from Arab countries and continued expansion of religious tourism have steered development of the hospitality sector in the Kingdom.
With…
Work on the suspended ‘mataf’ (area for circumambulation around the Kaaba) is continuing vigorously after top floor of the area was completed last year in order to accommodate pilgrims…
Yanbu has been chosen by Saudi authorities to be developed as a major point for Haj and Umrah pilgrims, along with Makkah, Madinah and Jeddah. Various infrastructure projects in Yanbu…
The Ministry of External Affairs (MoEA) has announced the dates Kailash Manasarovar Yatra for 2014.
This year the Yatra will be held in 18 batches starting 8 June to 9 September…
Makkah's hotel occupancy has risen to more than 90% around the central area of the Grand Mosque. A total of 1.7 million people have come on Umrah since the season opened in December.…
Work has started to improve tourist infrastructure at the birthplace of the Lord Buddha, Lumbini.
According to a report by China's Xinhua news agency, the Nepalese government wants to…
Aruanchal Pradesh is looking at positioning itself as a religious destination in India.
“While the world famous Tawang Monastery attracts tourists in the state’s western part,…
Nepal’s Pashupati Nath temple has introduced a special VIP Darshan facility for Indian citizens at the temple.
The Pashupati Area Development Trust announced the introduction of this…
Saudi Arabia recently announced its decision to reduce number of foreign pilgrims arriving for Umrah during the peak Ramadan season, as reported in Arab News. This step was being…
The Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA) has set up a special project to protect ancient Islamic sites particularly those linked to the Prophet Muhammad and rightly guided…
Prince Sultan bin Salman, president of the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities ( SCTA ), said that there were 33 million domestic flights for local tourists in 2012, providing…
Etihad Airways has announced plans to launch non-stop daily flights to Medina. The new service will begin effective 1 February 2014. With the addition of the new service, the airline…
The success of this year's ‘low-cost Haj’ project has encouraged the Ministry of Haj to expand the project in the future. The ‘low-cost Haj’ project seeks to provide domestic pilgrims…
A comprehensive 30-year plan to expand the Mina valley so as to accommodate seven million pilgrims has got the approval of the Board of Senior Ulema, as reported by Al-Eqtisadiah Arabic…
Dubai-based Hajjnet has recently launched the regions’ first smart phone app for pilgrims during Hajj.
The application has features that can run without a live Internet connection…
In preparation for the Hajj season, Qatar Airways will support he religious month with additional flights to Jeddah.
The new flights will commence from 8 October through to 20…
The Ministry of Tourism (MoT) has planned to develop religious tourism circuits during the 12th Five Year Plan.
The themes identified on the circuit development are based on…
The Elaf Bakkah hotel in Makkah Al Mokarrama is gearing up for its soft launch scheduled for end of September. Hotels around the Masjd Al Haram are expecting steady business growth which…
Ethiopian Airlines commenced its Hajj services for 8,000 Ethiopian Hajj pilgrims. The first Ethiopian chartered Hajj flight of 2013 will take-off from Addis Ababa with 234 out of the…
The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) will conserve the Kedarnath Temple in Uttarakhand.
In an inter-ministerial group (IMG) group meeting chaired by Cabinet Secretary, it was…
The Saudi Haj ministry has said number of pilgrims travelling by trains at the holy sites during the upcoming Haj season will be 25% less than number of pilgrims allowed on the trains last…
Minister of Haj, Bandar Hajjar mentioned that there will be an increase in space allotted for housing of pilgrims in Arafat and Mina during this year's Haj season, as reported by Saudi…
The Jammu and Kashmir government plans to promote Buddhist tourism in Ladakh.
The government has submitted a detailed project of US$25.3 million (INR150 crore) to the Centre to…
The Uttarakhand government plans to resume Char Dham Yatra, minus visit to Kedarnath from 30 September 2013.
During a visit to Rudraprayag district recently, Vijay Bahuguna, Chief…
The Kedarnath shrine located in the Uttarakhand will remain closed for at least a year.
Due to the flash floods in the state, the temple structure is safe; however the surroundings…
Rajasthan government and the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for free pilgrimage for senior citizens in the state.…
The number of Umrah pilgrims who arrived in the Kingdom during the past three months reached more than 1.6 million, Haj Minister Dr Bandar Hajjar was quoted in Arab News.
He said all…
The famous Jagganath Temple in Puri, Odisha will soon go green.
The temple will switch to solar power with Kolkata-based solar module-making firm Vikram Solar installing a 30KW solar power…
The Saudi Arabian government continues to invest billions of Riyals into various infrastructure and hospitality-related projects in order to boost tourism, especially tourism for religious…
The hospitality sector in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has witnessed a boom over the last several years.
Saudi Arabia’s overall economy shows positive growth in GDP until 2016. According to…
The Hajj season is termed as the most lucrative seasons for Saudi Arabia.
This is supported by recent statistics of hotel revenues in Makkah which reveals a growth of SAR4 billion (US$…
The first train from between Makkah and Madinah is expected to start in 52 months according to Al-Shuala Al-Kabida, contracting company of Haramain speed rail project.
“Al-Arab Company…
The need to provide more accommodation and better infrastructure for growing number of Hajj pilgrims has led to a flood of investment in the holy cities of Mecca and Medina.
per…
The Kingdom's hospitality sector has witnessed a staggering expansion and continues to grow in tandem with inbound travel; which is also increasing, both in terms of Umrah and business…
The first batch of Haj pilgrims from the state comprising 423 people will board an Air India flight to Jeddah from Chennai tomorrow. Of the 6,488 pilgrims from Tamil Nadu, close to 3,668 are…
Ministry of Tourism to develop three integrated circuits covering Buddhist sites…
India will extend the Visa on Arrival (VoA) scheme to Buddhist countries like Thailand and Malaysia.…
The second international Buddhist conclave will commence tomorrow (29 September) at Varanasi. The conclave is being held with a view to showcase and project the Buddhist heritage of India.…
The Elaf Group of Companies for Travel, Tourism and Hotels recently inked a strategic contract to accommodate 6,000 pilgrims from Egypt during the 1433 Hajj season at the 'Elaf Al Multaqa…
Emaar Properties PJSC has recently unveiled the 'Sheikh Zayed Bin Mansour Al Nahyan Mosque' for His Highness Sheikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of…
The Jabal Amman Residents Association (JARA) announced that this year's edition of Souk Jara, sponsored by Umniah, will run throughout the Holy Month of Ramadan every Friday from 9 pm until…
The Elaf Group of Companies announced the re-opening of its 'Elaf Kinda Hotel,' a 240 rooms and suites property, after the completion of a US$15.46 million renovation project. The re-opening…
The Swissotel Makkah with 1487 rooms and suites constituting to be the largest hotel of Saudi Arabia. The soon to be unveiled hotel will mark the international hotel group's first venture in…
Residents and tourists in the Holy City of Madinah will soon be able to find their way around the ancient city with ease, this could be attributed to the Wayfinding master plan developed by…
The Swissotel Makkah, with 1487 appointed rooms and suites will commence operations and welcome guests from the 1st day of Ramadan in July 2012.
The hotel marks the Groups foray into the…
The Swissôtel Hotels & Resorts will soon be launching the Swissôtel Makkah. The hotel with 1487 appointed rooms and suites will be the largest hotel of Saudi Arabia. The soon to be…
The Supreme Haj committee discussed a number of major issues including creation more space for pilgrims in Mina, expansion of Mashair Railway, Haj visas of people living in foreign countries…
The annual pilgrimage to the Himalayan cave shrine of Amarnath in Jammu and Kashmir will be held from 25 June to 2 August. All necessary
arrangements for the pilgrim tour are expected to be…
Dubai Islamic Insurance and Reinsurance Company (AMAN), an Islamic Insurance provider in the UAE will be rolling out its three new travel insurance offerings--Musafir, Shengen and the Haj…
Abdul Latif Jameel Real Estate Investment Company (ALJREIC) unveiled plans to invest US$2.7 billion to develop new hotels in Makkah and accommodate growing demand for hospitality services,…
The gates to the annual Char Dham pilgrimage to the Himalayan shrines are now open. The four shrines of Gangotri, Yamnotri, Kedarnath, Badrinath have opened after a six-month closure during…
The Ministry of Haj is working on its operations plan for the next Haj season and focuses on providing complete services to the guests, said a spokesman of the ministry. Haj Minister Bandar…
Around 50,000 Indian expatriates, mainly unskilled labourers, were deported from Saudi Arabia until mid-September following an amnesty announced by the Saudi government. The…
Tourism writers in Malaysia have urged the government to take a more proactive approach to religious tourism. President of the Malaysian Tourism Writers Association (Tram), Azlie Halim, told…
Jame Mosque in Kuala Lumpur
Tourism writers in Malaysia have urged the government to take a more proactive approach to religious tourism. President of the Malaysian Tourism Writers…
An agreement has been signed to transform the birthplace of Lord Buddha in Nepal into a new 'Mecca' for Buddhist pilgrims. The UN Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) has signed a…
Saudi Arabia's Haj ministry has revealed the number of pilgrims who have travelled to the country for this year's Umrah season is 34% higher than the same period last year.Approximately 2.84…
A Chinese-backed foundation and Nepal's government plan to transform Lord Buddha's birthplace in southern Nepal into a magnet for Buddhists in the same way Mecca is to Muslims, Reuters…
Foreign tourists have been banned from visiting a prominent Hindu temple in Goa because of their inappropriate clothing and behaviour.Officials at the Mahalasa Narayani temple in Mardol were…
SATURNIA, ITALY - Located in the heart of the Tuscan Maremma region of Italy, Terme di Saturnia Spa & Golf Resort is proud to announce the opening of its six new luxury…
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