The Economics of Religious Tourism (Hajj and Umrah) in Saudi Arabia

Author(s):  
Abla Abdul Hameed Bokhari

Even though great oil wealth has freed Saudi Arabia from economic dependence on Hajj and Umrah revenues, diversification of economic base and sources of income necessitates taking the economic impacts of these revenues into account. Therefore, this chapter aims to discuss the economic impact of religious tourism in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Tourism worldwide is a risky business. Nevertheless, religious motives of Muslim pilgrims have never been noticeably vulnerable to any circumstances. Furthermore, religious tourists are the highest spenders compared with other types of tourists in Saudi Arabia. Subsequently, annual pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia for Hajj and Umrah can play an increasingly vital role in economic growth and development. In its broadest generic sense, religious tourism plays a vital role as foreign exchange earner, a creator of job opportunities, and a tool for improving the balance of payments. Its contribution to the economic welfare, if well planned, can be more significant than any other economic force known.

Author(s):  
Abla Abdul Hameed Bokhari

Even though great oil wealth has freed Saudi Arabia from economic dependence on Hajj and Umrah revenues, diversification of economic base and sources of income necessitates taking the economic impacts of these revenues into account. Therefore, this chapter aims to discuss the economic impact of religious tourism in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Tourism worldwide is a risky business. Nevertheless, religious motives of Muslim pilgrims have never been noticeably vulnerable to any circumstances. Furthermore, religious tourists are the highest spenders compared with other types of tourists in Saudi Arabia. Subsequently, annual pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia for Hajj and Umrah can play an increasingly vital role in economic growth and development. In its broadest generic sense, religious tourism plays a vital role as foreign exchange earner, a creator of job opportunities, and a tool for improving the balance of payments. Its contribution to the economic welfare, if well planned, can be more significant than any other economic force known.


2020 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 23-35
Author(s):  
Anis Ali

Industrial development in any nation plays a vital role in the strengthening of the economy and employs human resources as per specifications and directly towards the mainstream of the nation. In Saudi Arabia, there was rapid industrialization for four decades. Some manufacturing industries performed well, while some internal and external business environment factors influenced the others’ performance. The study focuses on historical development, as well as recent trends of well-performing and poor-performing industries of Saudi Arabia. Small manufacturing industries in Saudi Arabia are underdeveloped and need more attention to attain sustainable and progressive growth rate in the form of the number of establishments to enjoy the potential. Manufacture of tobacco, computer, electronics and optics, pharmaceuticals and transport equipment are the deprived and underdeveloped industries of the manufacturing sector. There should be some easy credit schemes for the development of deprived or underdeveloped manufacturing industries. To attain sustainable growth and development of the manufacturing sector, a positive attitude of the government towards underdeveloped manufacturing industries, favorable labor laws, and entrepreneurial awareness, technical and financial assistance are necessary. The growth and development of the manufacturing sector of Saudi Arabia will be helpful in the attainment of goals of Vision 2030.


Healthcare ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (7) ◽  
pp. 834
Author(s):  
Magbool Alelyani ◽  
Sultan Alamri ◽  
Mohammed S. Alqahtani ◽  
Alamin Musa ◽  
Hajar Almater ◽  
...  

Artificial intelligence (AI) is a broad, umbrella term that encompasses the theory and development of computer systems able to perform tasks normally requiring human intelligence. The aim of this study is to assess the radiology community’s attitude in Saudi Arabia toward the applications of AI. Methods: Data for this study were collected using electronic questionnaires in 2019 and 2020. The study included a total of 714 participants. Data analysis was performed using SPSS Statistics (version 25). Results: The majority of the participants (61.2%) had read or heard about the role of AI in radiology. We also found that radiologists had statistically different responses and tended to read more about AI compared to all other specialists. In addition, 82% of the participants thought that AI must be included in the curriculum of medical and allied health colleges, and 86% of the participants agreed that AI would be essential in the future. Even though human–machine interaction was considered to be one of the most important skills in the future, 89% of the participants thought that it would never replace radiologists. Conclusion: Because AI plays a vital role in radiology, it is important to ensure that radiologists and radiographers have at least a minimum understanding of the technology. Our finding shows an acceptable level of knowledge regarding AI technology and that AI applications should be included in the curriculum of the medical and health sciences colleges.


Author(s):  
Rima H BinSaeed

Kingdom of Saudi Arabia with its developed economy and advanced technological infrastructure has shown a major progress in business opportunities for overseas investors. Saudi Arabia’s education sector is one of the most attractive investment opportunities for the foreign investors Earlier in 2019, 9 new foreign education enterprises were granted investor licenses, amounting to a total of $141mn of investment deals. The Saudi government introduced Saudi Vision 2030, an aspiring development plan that foresees vital prospects for foreign investors in the regions of education, housing, health and energy, amongst others. In 2016, Saudi Arabia permitted the procurement of 100% of assets by foreign investors in retail and wholesale trade. A privatisation program has also been introduced. The government also attempts to attract FDI in the regions of renewable energy and entertainment. A foreign direct investment (FDI) plays a vital role in local and international economy. Several opportunities and ventures are encouraged by Saudi Arabia to improve the standard of business and economical environments. To accomplish the finances for the projects SAGIA, the lawful authority is there to smooth the progress of investments, which encourages Saudi FDI prospective to grow simultaneously. FDI has a greater scope for diverse businesses and investing in to underdeveloped industrial sectors. FDI plays an important role in boosting the economy of Saudi Arabia by managing international investors who shares the huge portion of 34% in General GDP (Gross domestic product) of Saudi Arabia. This paper aims to review the literature to shed light on the steps taken by the government to increase FDI in the country and what are the current trends that are helping to fulfil VISION 2030.


Author(s):  
Ban Ali Hussein Al Mahanadi

The transport sector in its various forms, has an important weight in tourist activity, it is a direct producer that deserves direct planning. It is coordinated with the objectives of the comprehensive tourism plan. Also, it is an important factor in the tourism industry where depend on it to transport tourists from outside their places of residence to the tourist destination. An analysis of the reality of transport and tourism activity in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia shows the relative importance of the transport and communications sector, the relative importance of the retail sector, restaurants and hotels, the highest level of passenger services, In addition, there is the presence of religious tourism as the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia benefits from the influx of millions of Muslim pilgrims from all over the world to perform Hajj rituals annually and Umrah every day. And to see the archaeological sites and the holiest Bekaa in the Holy Haram area where in 2017 religious tourism attracted more than 8 million Muslim visitors, around 3 million came to perform Hajj. According to the National Transition Program, the Ministry of Hajj is committed to achieving the goal of providing the greatest possible number of Muslims to perform Hajj and Umrah. The end of this ministry is to increase the number of pilgrims from outside Saudi Arabia to 15 million by 2020 compared to 2017 (6.8 million) And according to Vision 2030, this number will double to 30 million by 2030, This is due to major growth in the fields of living accommodations, wellness maintenance, advanced shipping, retail and infrastructure. Equally part of its vision for growing the tourism sector and diversifying the sources of income, it intends to implement the first two projects, the Red Sea project and the second project of the city of Neum.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hailah Alhujaylan

Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL) is playing a vital role in teaching English language to English as a Foreign Language (EFL) students. However, to best of my knowledge a little has been done in this regard to keep the students in line with the most recent advancements in this paradigm in Saudi Arabia. This paper evaluates the efficacy of CALL in improving students’ writing skills and provides innovative techniques and robust strategies for long-lasting learning. The research seeks to fill in the knowledge gap regarding prospects of using CALL in the Kingdom with these main research questions; 1) how is the technology presently used for teaching the writing skills?; 2) what is the true impact of using CALL on students’ writing skills?; 3) which area of the language (organization, structure, content, grammar) sees the most improvements by CALL to make them better writers? A quantitative research design was used for this study. The sample was sixty female students of a Saudi University divided equally into control and experimental groups. The elicited data analysis indicates that the performance scores of two groups differ significantly when taught through CALL. The research contends that using CALL can enhance students’ writing skills over a short period of time when compared to the traditional ways of improving the writing skills. The current study also recommends that language classrooms should be equipped with all the latest technological facilities to encourage the use of CALL.


2015 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Chaitali R. Tailor

Environmental factors play a vital role in the growth and development of a child. The contribution of Manu Smriti Granth towards Indian culture holds the importance, that believes man and woman to be two important pillars of society and owes the responsibility being parents. This says that parent has a superior role to play than to a teacher in child’s development. To stand with the time, women are now becoming career oriented. Cultural nourishment is now an alarming concern as both man and woman remains occupied with job/business.


PeerJ ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
pp. e9551
Author(s):  
Lidong Hao ◽  
Shubing Shi ◽  
Haibin Guo ◽  
Ming Li ◽  
Pan Hu ◽  
...  

The Ethylene-Response Factor (ERF) subfamily transcription factors (TFs) belong to the APETALA2/Ethylene-Responsive Factor (AP2/ERF) superfamily and play a vital role in plant growth and development. However, identification and analysis of the ERF subfamily genes in maize have not yet been performed at genome-wide level. In this study, a total of 76 ERF subfamily TFs were identified and were found to be unevenly distributed on the maize chromosomes. These maize ERF (ZmERF) TFs were classified into six groups, namely groups B1 to B6, based on phylogenetic analysis. Synteny analysis showed that 50, 54, and 58 of the ZmERF genes were orthologous to those in rice, Brachypodium, and Sorghum, respectively. Cis-element analysis showed that elements related to plant growth and development, hormones, and abiotic stress were identified in the promoter region of ZmERF genes. Expression profiles suggested that ZmERF genes might participate in plant development and in response to salinity and drought stresses. Our findings lay a foundation and provide clues for understanding the biological functions of ERF TFs in maize.


Healthcare ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (11) ◽  
pp. 1517
Author(s):  
Saeed M. Alghamdi ◽  
Abdullah S. Alsulayyim ◽  
Jaber S. Alqahtani ◽  
Abdulelah M. Aldhahir

COVID-19 poses a significant burden to healthcare systems. Healthcare organisations with better health innovation infrastructures have faced a reduced burden and achieved success in curbing COVID-19. In Saudi Arabia, digital technologies have played a vital role in fighting SARS-CoV-2 transmission. In this paper, we aimed to summarise the experience of optimising digital health technologies in Saudi Arabia as well as to discuss capabilities and opportunities during and beyond the COVID-19 pandemic. A literature search was conducted up to September 2021 to document the experience of using DHTPs in Saudi Arabia in response to the COVID-19 outbreak. We also considered any published data, press briefings, and announcements by the MOH in Saudi Arabia. The findings were synthesised in narrative form. Health officials succeeded in optimising and maintaining a strategy to mitigate the spread of the virus via different digital technologies, such as mobile health applications, artificial intelligence, and machine learning. The quick digital response in Saudi Arabia was facilitated by governmental support and by considering users and technology determinants. Future research must concentrate on establishing and updating the guidelines for using DHTPs.


2022 ◽  
pp. 67-80
Author(s):  
Muhammad Farooq ◽  
Volkan Altintas

The religious tourism sector is a booming industry and attracts a sizable number of tourists around the world. While several factors play an important role in increasing the number of tourists for religious purposes, technology plays a vital role in managing and boasting religious tourism in a country. The authors aim to see this in the context of Turkey, a country that is a bridge between East and West, possessing a number of religious touristic sites and attracting a large number of tourists. The profile of the country and the role of technology in increasing tourism in Turkey also suggest improvements in the technological landscape of the country to increase and facilitate the religious tourists.


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