Ban for non-Haj visa holders to stay in Makkah from April 29 until end of Haj season
This measure aligns with the Ministry of Interior's announced arrangements to ensure pilgrim safety, requiring all other visa holders to leave Makkah starting Dhu Al-Qi'dah 1, corresponding to April 29.
All tourist facilities and online booking platforms must fully comply with this mandate for the specified categories to support a safe and organized Hajj. The Ministry of Tourism also emphasized that all hospitality providers in Makkah and online platforms must comply with the Hajj 2025 regulations and cooperate with the authorities. It warned that non-compliance of the regulations will result in legal penalties for both establishments and individuals.
© Copyright 2022 The Saudi Gazette. All Rights Reserved. Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (Syndigate.info).
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Zawya
2 days ago
- Zawya
Saudi Railways transports 8mln passengers, 15mln tons of freight in H1 2025 performance
Saudi Gazette report RIYADH — Saudi Arabia Railways (SAR) announced record operational results for the first half of 2025, transporting 7.93 million passengers across over 21,000 trips on its North, East, and Haramain High-Speed train networks — an 8% increase compared to the same period in 2024. The strong performance was bolstered by exceptional service during the Hajj season, which saw 1.2 million pilgrims transported via the Haramain line and 1.8 million via the Mashair Metro, totaling over 2,100 Hajj-related train journeys. On the freight side, SAR moved 14.93 million tons of minerals and goods — up 13% year-on-year — helping remove over 700,000 truck trips from the Kingdom's roads. This shift resulted in fuel savings exceeding 72 million liters and a reduction of 190,000 tons in carbon emissions, supporting Saudi Arabia's environmental sustainability goals and logistics efficiency targets. SAR CEO Dr. Bashar Al-Malik said the figures reflect the company's commitment to providing sustainable, efficient transport solutions in alignment with the National Transport and Logistics Strategy. Beyond operations, SAR continues to deliver long-term economic and environmental impact. Its local content initiative, part of the 'Asasat' program, is on track to surpass 60% by the end of the year, supporting national industries and creating quality job opportunities for Saudi talent. Al-Malik also emphasized SAR's vital role in advancing the Saudi Green Initiative by reducing emissions, lowering reliance on conventional trucking, and offering cleaner alternatives that enhance quality of life in cities across the Kingdom.
Zawya
2 days ago
- Zawya
Jordan: Cabinet approves new regulations, says they aim to ease tourism rules, support farmers
AMMAN — The Cabinet on Sunday approved two major bylaws aimed at revitalising the tourism sector, simplifying regulations, and attracting investment, in line with recent amendments to the Tourism Law. Chaired by Prime Minister Jafar Hassan, the Cabinet endorsed the 2025 Hotel and Tourism Establishments Bylaw and the 2025 Tourist Restaurants Bylaw, both designed to improve the business environment and reduce regulatory burdens, according to the Jordan news agency, Petra. Under the new regulations, hotels and tourism establishments will no longer require a licence to operate. Instead, they will need approval from the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, which will also oversee classification standards. Licensing fees have been scrapped, easing operational costs for business owners. The bylaw also introduces mandatory compliance with inclusive tourism standards, ensuring accessibility for persons with disabilities, the elderly, and children, alongside adherence to environmental regulations. The Tourist Restaurants Bylaw eliminates the requirement for a ministry-issued licence, replacing it with a classification or registration system. It also cancels licensing fees, aligning with the amended Tourism Law. Tourist restaurants must now meet public health and safety requirements, including regulations related to smoking and the provision of waterpipes, according to Petra. These legislative reforms form part of the government's broader Economic Modernisation Vision, which identifies tourism as a key driver of economic growth. In a move to bolster local agriculture, the Cabinet approved the purchase of locally produced wheat and barley, both for seed and fodder purposes, during the 2024/2025 agricultural season. Procurement will be handled by the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Supply via the open trade account, in coordination with the Ministry of Agriculture and the Jordanian Cooperative Corporation, Petra reported. Approved purchase prices were set at JD500 per tonne for seed-grade wheat and JD420 for seed-grade barley, while fodder-grade wheat and barley were priced at JD420 and JD370 per tonne, respectively. To ease financial pressure on farmers, the government will reduce seed prices for the 2025/2026 season by JD50 per tonne, and will cover screening and sterilisation costs, estimated at JD75 per tonne. A total of JD19 million has been allocated for the purchase of approximately 40,000 tonnes of grain, Petra said. These measures aim to promote self-sufficiency in key crops and incentivise expanded cultivation. The Cabinet also approved an amendment to the 2025 Building and Zoning Bylaw for the Greater Amman Municipality. The change extends a discount on unpaid building fees to buildings constructed in 2025. The aim is to alleviate the financial burden on property owners, with some fines currently reaching four times the original violation cost. The Cabinet endorsed the validating reasons for the proposed 2025 bylaw for Greater Amman Municipality employees, which will be submitted to the Legislation and Opinion Bureau. The bylaw seeks to streamline human resources regulations, address inconsistencies in implementation, and improve municipal service delivery by enhancing staff efficiency and supporting strategic goals. The Cabinet also approved the construction of a new access road to the planned government hospital in Madaba. The road will be implemented by the Ministry of Public Works and Housing, while a parallel route will be constructed by the Ministry of Local Administration. The roads are deemed critical infrastructure for the hospital project.
Al Etihad
5 days ago
- Al Etihad
EU to triple travel permit fee to 20 euros
18 July 2025 17:13 Brussels (AFP)The digital travel permit for foreigners to enter the European Union should cost 20 euros ($23), almost triple the original planned fee, under a proposal published on adjustment to the yet-to-be implemented ETIAS scheme for visa-exempt nationals comes as the European Commission seeks to boost its financial resources to fund an array of priorities from defence to change reflects inflation and additional operational costs, the commission said."It will also bring the cost for a travel authorisation to the EU in line with similar travel authorisation programmes," the EU's top executive body in 2018, the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) regulation originally envisaged a fee of seven equivalent, known as ETA, comes with a 16 pound fee ($21), while the United States' ESTA permit costs $ online, the European Union's ETIAS permit will be required for the bloc's 27 countries with the exception of Ireland, as well as for Norway, Iceland, Switzerland and permit, valid for three years, will be required for non-EU nationals from countries whose citizens do not need a visa for short stays in Europe, such as Canada, Britain and the United aged under 18 or over 70 years will be exempt from the said the scheme was created to identify security, irregular migration and other risks as well as to facilitate border crossing for regular its implementation, which was supposed to go hand-in-hand with a new automated border check system, has suffered from European Parliament and member states have two months to review the new 20-euro fee, which will enter into effect as soon as ETIAS becomes operational -- now expected for the last quarter of week the commission proposed a boosted two-trillion-euro long-term budget for 2028-2034, which has already upset some of the EU countries that will have to chip in most of the money. As part of the blueprint, which is subject to negotiation, Brussels said it will seek to raise about 58 billion euros a year collecting money directly through measures like its carbon border tax and a levy on electronic waste.
