MUMBAI: travelling to Medina can soon take direct flights from Mumbai, Delhi
and Hyderabad. So far, pilgrims travelling from Mumbai to Medina have had to book
flights to Jeddah and then travel onwards by road and trains.
Those who still opt to fly to Jeddah from Mumbai can take trains to Medina or Mecca
through an integrated service between Saudi Airlines and Haramain High Speed
Railway, said Saudi Tourism Authority on Wednesday at a “roadshow” in Mumbai of
Nusuk, an electronic platform that provides services like e-visa, hotel bookings, and
travels to Mecca, Medina and other historic sites.
“India is Saudi Arabia’s third largest source market in Asia-Pacific region, with 1.8
million visitors so far in 2023. Over 1.88 million Indian expats live or work in Saudi
Arabia,” said Meshaal Qureshi, trade accounts director, India and subcontinent, Saudi
Tourism Authority. He said 7.5 million Indian visitors are expected annually in Saudi
Arabia by 2030.
Khalid Kherada, a tour operator, said Nusuk will allow umrah visas to be issued in an
hour. “It will make travel seamless and help tourism.”
Fahd Hamidaddin, managing director of Nusuk and CEO of the Saudi Tourism Authority
stated: “India is one of the most important markets in the world, and holds a
significant presence of nearly 200 million Muslims. India is also a long-term partner of
Saudi and is expected to become Saudi’s largest tourism source market, with over 7.5
million Indian visitors expected to visit our country by 2030. We remain committed to
enabling trade to easily package and promote Saudi products to visitors, which will
help us increase the distribution of Saudi’s diversified travel offerings. We look forward
to deepening ties with key Indian trade partners to ensure we are creating bespoke
experiences that tailor the entire Umrah journey for Indian visitors.”
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
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