Empowering the Private Sector to Enhance the Umrah Experience for Indian Visitors
India, Hyderabad December 7, 2023: The Integrated Government Platform “Nusuk” concluded its first roadshow held in the Republic of India, chaired by His Excellency the Minister of Hajj and Umrah, Dr Tawfig AlRabiah, which featured the participation of key representatives from various Umrah partners and travel agents.
The roadshow focused on engaging with officials to address various challenges and called for increased levels of collaboration with leading travel and Umrah companies in India and Saudi. Additionally, the roadshow explored attractive trade opportunities and offered incentives to the private sector to provide a seamless Umrah experience for pilgrims, in line with the objectives of Saudi Vision 2030.
The roadshow exhibition featured a variety of booths from Saudi service providers, which included accommodation and transportation companies, tour operators, and other pertinent entities. Attracting over 1000 private sector representatives from India and Saudi Arabia, the event served to acquaint Indian partners with Nusuk’s extensive services. These range from offering valuable information and insights to streamlining the process of obtaining visitor visas, and securing accommodations and flights. Moreover, this comprehensive approach was designed to facilitate increased visits to Makkah, Madinah, and various other iconic destinations in Saudi, to enhance the overall experience for travellers to the Kingdom.
The Nusuk roadshow exhibition provided an interactive platform that showcased Saudi’s picturesque year-round destinations and diversified luxury travel market to key Indian consumers and trade entities. Additionally, the exhibitors extended a warm invitation to exhibition attendees to enjoy Saudi’s ancient heritage and authentically Arabian culture and called on the trade to invest in Saudi’s thriving tourism sector. These calls are in line with Nusuk’s long-term strategy of strategy of encouraging visitors to experience the wonders of Saudi, far beyond their Umrah experience.
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.”
Highlighting the success of the Nusuk Roadshow, Fahd Hamidaddin added: “The Nusuk India Roadshow was a resounding success. Through Nusuk – our integrated digital platform – we are delighted to provide the ever-growing Indian market with a unique Umrah experience that will cater to a wide variety of travel needs and preferences. Our streamlined platform continues to positively impact Saudi’s tourism sector and is opening the doors of opportunity for key trade partners in India and around the world.”
Alhasan Aldabbagh, Nusuk President of APAC Markets expressed, “With Nusuk, we aim to significantly enhance ease and accessibility for Indian travellers, especially the growing number of Umrah visitors. This platform simplifies their journey to Saudi, beginning with an expedited visitor visa process – now streamlined to allow issuance in under 24 hours, and we have further extended the Umrah visa duration to 90 days. Additionally, e-visa services are available to holders of UK, US, and Schengen visas. Moreover, Indian travellers can benefit from the 96-hour Stopover visa, which allows Umrah to be included in their itinerary. We’re also continuing to foster our collaborations with our local partners to offer the Umrah+ packages, encouraging pilgrims to explore the rich culture and experiences available in Saudi beyond Makkah and Madinah.”
India has held the third spot in visit numbers this year, welcoming 1.8 million visits. Guided by visionary leadership, Saudi Arabia has been dedicated to easing the travel process for Indians visiting the Kingdom. This encompasses all aspects of their trip, from visa applications and hotel accommodations to flight bookings and performing Umrah, regardless of the visa type. All these services are facilitated through the “Nusuk” platform (nusuk.sa).
