RIYADH, 21 February — The Ministry of Islamic Affairs has announced that Eid Al-Adha prayers will be held on 20 Eid grounds and 322 mosques in the capital city tomorrow.

Dr. Abdullah ibn Mufleh Al-Hamad, director of the ministry’s Riyadh branch, told Arab News that Riyadh Governor Prince Salman has approved alternative arrangements for Eid prayers in case of rain or inclement weather.

He said three other mosques — Imam Turki ibn Abdullah in the Qasr Al-Hukm area, Jamia Al-Faryan on Al-Faryan Road and Jamia Al-Qarri along King Faisal Street — will accommodate the worshipers. The prayers will be held at 6.45 a.m., 23 minutes after sunrise.

Shoppers flocked to the major commercial centers and hypermarkets yesterday for last-minute Eid purchases. In the run-up to the festival, many shopping malls were offering incentives, including “Scratch and Save” cards entitling the customers to a range of discounts.

Beauty parlors, too, had a field day. “I had to wait for two hours for my facial,” said Arshia Atiq, a housewife. There was huge demand for henna, which women use for decorative patterns on their hands.

Meanwhile, travel agents have reported heavy rush for Dubai (venue of the Dubai Shopping Festival), Beirut, Cairo and Sharm El-Shaikh, which have emerged as the top destinations for Saudis during the Haj holidays.

“Because of the difficulties in going to the US and other Western countries, most of the tourist traffic from the Kingdom is heading for the Gulf and Arab countries followed by Malaysia. As a result, we are operating chartered flights to those destinations to cope with the heavy rush,” Edward Moufarrej, sales manager of Eagle Holidays, tourism division of the Al-Tayar Group, told Arab News.

He said the Al-Tayar Group is handling around 1,500 pilgrims hosted by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd. “We are making all arrangements for their accommodation, food and transportation,” he observed.

As for inbound travel, there was a big rush for Madain Saleh and Najran in the northern and southern regions of the Kingdom, while Jeddah continued to be a big draw with all its variegated attractions. An attractive offer for holiday-makers this season was diving packages for the Red Sea. Dammam and Bahrain remained popular in the eastern part of the Arabian Peninsula, he added.

Singapore Airlines has announced that it is willing to sponsor Saudis who wish to visit the island republic. However, it will take a minimum of three weeks for processing the sponsorship and visa formalities.

“I was planning to join a weeklong $5,000 luxury cruise departing from Singapore for Thailand. Because of the visa and sponsorship requirement, I could not take up the offer,” said a lawyer in Riyadh.

The visa hassle has had an adverse impact on SAL, whose revenue from Riyadh alone shrank by over 50 percent. While Indians have been exempted from visa formalities, all Arab and Gulf nationals as well as those from Sudan and Pakistan need to apply for a visa.

However, the need for a sponsor in Singapore applies to Saudis alone — a move seen as highly discriminatory against Saudi nationals.