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Saudi Arabia eyes welcoming over 3.5 million Pakistani tourists annually by 2030

In this handout photo, taken and released by Saudi Hajj Ministry, Saudi Minister for Hajj and Umrah, Dr. Tawfiq Al-Rabiah (right), gestures during a meeting with Pakistani caretaker Minister of Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony Aniq Ahmed in Islamabad on August 21, 2023. (Photo courtesy: Saudi Hajj Ministry)
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Updated 24 August 2023
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Saudi Arabia eyes welcoming over 3.5 million Pakistani tourists annually by 2030

  • Saudi official says Pakistan an ‘important and strategic market’ for Kingdom with over 2.5 million Pakistanis living in Saudi Arabia
  • Saudi Tourism Authority official says Kingdom plans to target Pakistanis who spend vacations in US, Dubai, Europe and Turkiye
Updated 24 August 2023
KHURSHID AHMED   

KARACHI: As Saudi Arabia opens up more tourist destinations beyond Makkah and Madinah and expedites its visa process, a top Saudi Tourism Authority (STA) official said this week that the Kingdom is aggressively targeting Pakistani tourists, and plans to welcome over 3.5 million of them per year by 2030.

Saudi Arabia is a favorite destination for thousands of Pakistanis who travel to the Kingdom each year, especially during the month of Ramadan, to pray at Muslim holy sites in Makkah and Madinah, and perform the Umrah pilgrimage. Of late, the Kingdom has started exploring options to increase tourism between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, which included an agreement earlier this week to increase the number of flights between the two countries.

To ensure more facilities for Pakistani pilgrims, the STA launched the Nusuk travel platform in Pakistan on Tuesday. Nusuk is the kingdom’s first official planning, booking and experience platform to create Hajj or Umrah itineraries to Makkah, Madinah and beyond. It allows travelers from all over the world to easily organize their visit to Saudi Arabia by facilitating their e-visa process along with flight and hotel bookings.

“We are very optimistic with the launch of Nusuk because from Pakistan in this year alone, we have welcomed more than one million visitors,” Alhasan Aldabbagh, president of the Asia-Pacific (APAC) markets at STA, told journalists Tuesday at an event held to launch Nusuk.

“And most of them are coming to Saudi to perform Umrah, but also there are a lot of Pakistanis who are coming for business.”

Aldabbagh said Pakistan is an “important and strategic” market for the Kingdom since there are over 2.5 million Pakistanis living in Saudi Arabia who are visited by their friends and relatives each year.

“We have a big ambition for Pakistan, we are targeting to attract more than 3.5 million Pakistanis by 2030 and I believe this is a very conservative estimate,” the STA official said.

Saudi Minister for Hajj and Umrah, Tawfiq Bin Fawzan Al-Rabiah arrived in Pakistan on Sunday for a four-day official visit with a large delegation, where he met Pakistani leaders to discuss bilateral relations and tourism.

Aldabbagh said Saudi officials had studied Pakistani tourists who travel to the Kingdom frequently, adding that they divided them into segments to better understand the tourists’ varying needs.

“One of the big [Pakistani tourists] segments that are coming to Saudi is during Ramadan, this is the high season and they tend to stay longer in Saudi in Makkah and Medina,” Aldabbagh observed.

The STA official said another segment of Pakistani tourists travel to the Kingdom during the off-season on holidays, during summers, and on some important religious events such as the Al Isra and Al Mi’raj, and the birthday of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).

Muslims refer to Isra as the night journey that the prophet undertook from Makkah to Masjid Al-Aqsa and Mi’raj as the journey he undertook from Masjid Al-Aqsa to the heavens.

Aldabbagh said the STA was planning to target Pakistani tourists who spend their vacations in Europe, the US, Dubai or in Turkiye, adding that the authority was planning to launch a “big marketing campaign” by the end of this year in Pakistan.

“We want to work with celebrities and influencers and travel bloggers here in Pakistan to bring as much exposure to the transformation that we’re doing to make Umrah easier and more accessible than ever before,” he said.

He said the Kingdom was planning on increasing focus on other historical Islamic sites as well for tourists who visited Saudi Arabia to perform Umrah. He said Saudi authorities are inviting tourists to visit the Cave of Hira, Mount Uhud and several iconic mosques in the country.

“Saudi today is the true home of Arabia,” Aldabbagh noted. “We have six UNESCO World Heritage sites and over 10,000 archaeological sites in Saudi. We have places like El-Balad in Jaddah, which is the old downtown.”

He reiterated that the Kingdom has expedited its visa issuing process, enabling visitors to apply for an Umrah visa online that would be issued in less than 24 hours.

The STA official said Saudi Arabia would launch winter festivities that would feature several activities in Riyadh, Al Ula, and other Saudi cities as well.

Topics: Pakistan Saudi Ties Saudi Hajj and Umrah ministry Saudi Hajj Minister Dr. Tawfig Al-Rabiah

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Indian Sikh pilgrims to visit Kartarpur today to mark birth anniversary of religion’s founder

Updated 12 sec ago
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Indian Sikh pilgrims to visit Kartarpur today to mark birth anniversary of religion’s founder

  • Sikh pilgrims from India cross over into Pakistan every year via visa-free Kartarpur Corridor
  • Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur, Narowal, is Sikhism founder’s final resting place
Updated 12 sec ago
Arab News Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Indian Sikh pilgrims will visit Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in the eastern Kartarpur town today, Monday, to mark the 555th birth anniversary of their religion’s founder Baba Guru Nanak Dev Ji, state media reported. 
Every year Indian Sikh pilgrims cross over from India to Pakistan via a visa-free border crossing known as the Kartarpur Corridor. The corridor connects Gurdwara Darbar Sahib, near Narowal in Pakistan’s Punjab, to Gurudwara Dera Baba Nanak in Indian Punjab’s Gurdaspur district. 
Inaugurated in 2019, the corridor is seen as a rare example of cooperation and diplomacy between the two South Asian neighbors.
“Sikh pilgrims will visit Gurdwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur on Monday to celebrate the 555th birth anniversary of Baba Guru Nanak Dev Ji,” state broadcaster Radio Pakistan reported.
It said that the pilgrims would visit Gurdwara Rohri Sahib in Eminabad on Wednesday before concluding their journey in Pakistan’s eastern city of Lahore.
Much of Sikh heritage is located in Pakistan. When Pakistan was carved out of India at the end of British rule in 1947, Kartarpur ended up on the Pakistani side of the border, while most of the region’s Sikhs remained on the other side.
For over seven decades, the Sikh community had lobbied for easier access to their holiest temple.
Pakistan’s initiative to open the corridor earned widespread appreciation from the international community, including the United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, who had described it as a “Corridor of Hope.”

Topics: Sikh pilgrims Gurdwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur Baba Guru Nanak

Fly Jinnah celebrates inaugural Lahore-Dammam flight amid Saudi expansion

Updated 16 min 10 sec ago
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Fly Jinnah celebrates inaugural Lahore-Dammam flight amid Saudi expansion

  • Pakistan’s low-cost airline began domestic operations in 2022 and is now focusing on the Middle East
  • Fly Jinnah has also been connecting Pakistani cities to Sharjah, Riyadh and Jeddah, as PIA struggles
Updated 16 min 10 sec ago
NAIMAT KHAN

KARACHI: Fly Jinnah, Pakistan’s low-cost airline, celebrated its inaugural flight from Lahore to Dammam on Sunday, further enhancing air connectivity between the South Asian nation and Saudi Arabia amid growing demand for international travel.
Established in 2021 as a joint venture between Pakistan’s Lakson Group and the United Arab Emirates’ Air Arabia Group, Fly Jinnah began domestic operations in October 2022, connecting major Pakistani cities such as Karachi, Islamabad, Lahore, Peshawar and Quetta.
In February 2024, the airline launched its first international route, connecting Islamabad to Sharjah, before expanding to Saudi Arabia— home to an estimated 2.7 million Pakistanis— with flights to Riyadh and Jeddah.
“We are happy to celebrate our inaugural flight from Lahore to Dammam, further enhancing connectivity between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia for our passengers,” the airline said in a social media post.


The first flight to Dammam in the kingdom’s Eastern Province was operated a day earlier. A substantial number of Pakistani families reside in and around the Saudi city, drawn by job opportunities in the oil-rich region.
The addition of Dammam to its network highlights Fly Jinnah’s aim to capture the lucrative Middle Eastern travel market as Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), the struggling national carrier, faces financial challenges.
The Pakistani government has been exploring privatization options for PIA, leaving a gap that private airlines such as Fly Jinnah aim to fill.
Saudi Arabia is a key destination for Pakistani travelers, driven by religious pilgrimage to Makkah and Madinah and by a thriving expatriate workforce.
Fly Jinnah’s direct connections offer affordable travel options, positioning the airline as a viable competitor in this high-demand sector.

Topics: Fly Jinnah Dammam Airport Co. (DACO) Pakistani flight attendant

Pakistan dispatches 19th relief consignment to Syria amid conflicts in Middle East

Updated 17 November 2024
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Pakistan dispatches 19th relief consignment to Syria amid conflicts in Middle East

  • Pakistan says it will continue to support people affected by Israel’s military campaign in the region
  • Since the beginning of the war in Gaza, Pakistan has called for a ceasefire at the UN, other forums
Updated 17 November 2024
Arab News Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) dispatched its 19th relief consignment on Sunday to help war-affected people in Syria and refugees from Lebanon, according to an official statement, reaffirming the country’s commitment to supporting those impacted by ongoing conflicts in the Middle East.
The aid shipment, sent in collaboration with the Pakistani charity Al-Khidmat Foundation, consisted of 17 tons of humanitarian supplies, including buckets, powdered milk, tinned food, family packs, sleeping bags and medical kits.
The consignment departed via a chartered flight from Jinnah International Airport in Karachi to Damascus in Syria.
“This 19th consignment has been dispatched for the people of Syria and refugees from Lebanon,” the NDMA said in its statement. “Prior to this, the Government of Pakistan has sent 12 aid consignments to Palestine and six shipments to Lebanon, with a total volume of 1,722 tons.”
The statement reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to supporting the people of Palestine and Lebanon who are in distress due to Israel’s military campaigns in the region.
It also emphasized the importance of collaboration by welfare organizations and the Pakistani public in strengthening the government’s efforts to assist those in need.
Pakistan has already established a special fund titled the “Prime Minister’s Relief Fund for Gaza and Lebanon,” inviting public donations.
Since the beginning of the war in October last year, Pakistan has called for a ceasefire in Gaza and has raised the issue at the United Nations, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and other international forums, urging an end to Israeli military actions and a resolution to the humanitarian crisis.

Topics: Pakistan Syria Ties Pakistan Middle East ties National Disaster Management Authority Gaza aid

Women in Pakistan’s Karachi protest against honor killings, rising extremism

Updated 17 November 2024
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Women in Pakistan’s Karachi protest against honor killings, rising extremism

  • Participants of the rally say Karo-Kari is ‘rampant’ in Sindh, oppose marriages to settle disputes
  • Protesters also raise concern about proposed amendments to Pakistan’s water distribution system
Updated 17 November 2024
NAIMAT KHAN

KARACHI: Hundreds of women marched in Karachi on Sunday to protest honor killings, rising extremism and social injustices, while voicing concerns over proposed changes to Pakistan’s water distribution mechanism earlier this year, which southern provinces argue are detrimental to their interests.
The rally, organized by Sindhiyani Tehreek, a women-led movement supported by civil society groups, drew demonstrators from across Sindh who marched from Regal Chowk to the Karachi Press Club.
Dr. Marvi Sindhu, the central general secretary of the movement, highlighted the threat of so-called honor killings, locally referred to as Karo-Kari. These killings target individuals accused of engaging in illicit relationships or marrying against their families’ wishes, often as a means to restore the perceived honor of the family.
“We are raising our voices against the rampant killing of women in the name of honor in Sindh,” she told Arab News. “We are also here to raise our voices against rising religious extremism.”
Sindhu said Karo-Kari was “alarmingly rampant” in northern Sindh, though she noted other socially conservative practices also undermined the interests and wellbeing of women.
“Women are married to settle disputes or murder cases [in the province], only to face harassment [from their in-laws] for the rest of their lives,” she continued, urging Pakistan’s senior judiciary to form a commission to address such issues.
Amar Sindhu, a professor and member of the Women’s Action Forum, echoed similar concerns, saying the rise in extremist ideologies was deepening social injustices and threatening women’s safety in Sindh.
“We stand united against these injustices and demand action to protect women from violence and oppression,” she said.
Sindhiyani Tehreek, founded in 1980, has been a prominent force in the province, advocating for women’s rights, social justice and the preservation of Sindhi culture. The movement also has a long history of resistance against authoritarian rule, gender-based violence and environmental degradation.
Apart from social and gender issues, the protest also highlighted proposed amendments to the Indus River System Authority (IRSA) Act, 1992, introduced in July to restructure Pakistan’s water regulatory authority.
Key changes include appointing a permanent federal chairman to the authority, replacing the current rotational system where provincial representatives take turns leading IRSA.
The movement’s general secretary condemned the amendments as “unlawful,” warning they could exacerbate interprovincial disputes and deprive Sindh of its rightful share of water.
“Sindh deserves its share of water to sustain its crops, mangroves and marine life,” she said.

Topics: women in Pakistan honor killing honor killings religious extremism

One killed in northwestern Pakistan blast targeting religio-political party leader

Updated 17 November 2024
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One killed in northwestern Pakistan blast targeting religio-political party leader

  • Attack on Maulana Shehzad Wazir of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam has left him critically injured
  • The JUI leader was on his way to a mosque in Azam Warsak when the explosion took place
Updated 17 November 2024
REHMAT MEHSUD

PESHAWAR: One person was killed and six others injured in a blast triggered by an improvised explosive device (IED) targeting a senior leader of a prominent religio-political party in South Waziristan district on Sunday, leaving him in critical condition, police said.
The attack on Maulana Shehzad Wazir comes amid complaints from his Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI) party about being targeted by militants operating in Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province.
JUI chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman also voiced concerns over militant threats disrupting the party’s election campaign in the region ahead of the February 8 national polls, citing warnings from law enforcement about dangers to its candidates.
“The IED was planted in a street leading to Maulana Shehzad Wazir’s mosque, who is politically affiliated with the JUI-F,” Bilal Wazir, a police officer in Wana, the headquarters of South Waziristan tribal district, told Arab News over the phone. “Mufti Ijaz Wazir died on the spot while six others, including Maulana Shehzad Wazir, who was apparently the target of the attack, were left in critical condition.”
The officer said a police contingent was dispatched to the area soon after the explosion to gather evidence and shift the wounded to the hospital.
Asked about the intensity of the blast, he said it shook the entire neighborhood of Azam Warsak, a settlement on the outskirts of Wana.
Speaking to Arab News, Mufti Ijaz Shinwari, the JUI senior vice president in the tribal area, condemned the incident, saying the victims of the attack were religious leaders and key figures of his political party on the provincial level.
“This is inhumane,” he added. “This is clearly a terrorist attack and a cowardly act.”
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, though Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), a banned militant group, has a history of targeting civilians, security forces and politicians in the region, aiming to perpetuate instability in KP.
In recent months, the TTP has claimed responsibility for several attacks and is suspected by officials in others.
Earlier this week, however, Daesh, a separate militant outfit, shot dead Hameed Sufi, a senior leader of the Jamaat-e-Islami party, in the adjacent Bajaur tribal district.
In June, four people, including Maulana Mirza Jan, the president of JUI’s Wana chapter, were shot by unidentified attackers.
Pakistan claims Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers are providing shelter to TTP fighters across the porous border separating the two countries. However, the Afghan Taliban insists they do not allow anyone to use their soil to launch violent attacks in the neighborhood.
 

Topics: militancy in Pakistan IED blast pakistan bombing South Waziristan

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