Ministry statistics also revealed that 41,280 pilgrims left Madinah after Hajj, 7,676 of them via the Prince Mohammed bin Abdulaziz International Airport, and 4,828 through the reception center
Updated 19 July 2022
SPA
MADINAH: A total of 110,518 pilgrims from around the world on Monday arrived in Madinah during the post-Hajj season, official Saudi government figures showed.
According to the findings of a survey conducted by the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah, the Madinah immigration center received 101,734 worshippers who arrived by bus after performing their Hajj rituals.
A further 6,570 made their way overland to the Land Pilgrim Reception Center, with another 2,150 taking the Haramain high-speed railway.
Ministry statistics also revealed that 41,280 pilgrims left Madinah after Hajj, 7,676 of them via the Prince Mohammed bin Abdulaziz International Airport, and 4,828 through the reception center. Approximately 69,228 remain in the holy city.
Authorities in Madinah carried out 727 visits to assess pilgrims’ residences, launched 2,153 accommodation screening operations, guided 973 lost pilgrims at service sites, and conducted 44 field trips to check on the condition of pilgrims admitted to hospitals in Madinah. In addition, 304 field visits were undertaken to assess the performance of service providers.
Ambassadors and envoys from across the Muslim world have hailed Saudi Arabia’s hosting of Hajj this year.
KSrelief chief, Equatorial Guinea discuss humanitarian work
Since its inception in May 2015, the KSrelief has implemented 2,315 projects worth more than $6 billion in 90 countries
Updated 30 March 2023
Arab News
RIYADH: Supervisor-General of the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah received the ambassador of Equatorial Guinea to the Kingdom, Dr. Benigno-Pedro Matute Tang, at the center’s headquarters in Riyadh.
During the meeting, topics of mutual interest related to humanitarian and relief affairs were discussed.
The Guinean ambassador stated appreciation for the center’s efforts exerted in the field of humanitarian work and its efforts to help people and countries in need around the world.
Since its inception in May 2015, the KSrelief has implemented 2,315 projects worth more than $6 billion in 90 countries.
The center’s programs include food security, water sanitation and hygiene, health, education, humanitarian and emergency relief coordination, logistics, nutrition, and emergency telecommunication.
The countries and territories that benefited the most from the center’s various projects were Yemen ($4.2 billion), Palestine ($369 million), Syria ($342 million) and Somalia ($232 million).
Who’s Who: Manal Al-Bar, director of marketing at the Jabal Omar Jumeirah Makkah
Updated 30 March 2023
Arab News
Manal Hashem Al-Bar was recently appointed director of marketing at the Jabal Omar Jumeirah Makkah.
The hotel is the UAE-based chain’s first to open in Saudi Arabia and one of its biggest to date.
Spread across four towers it houses a variety of food and beverage venues, more than 90 retail outlets, a gym, executive lounge, and meeting facilities.
Al-Bar will be responsible for leading the marketing team and overseeing integrated marketing and public relations campaigns for hotel rooms, restaurants, and all other facilities.
With more than 13 years’ experience in hospitality leadership roles in Saudi Arabia, she was previously the marketing director for the Venue Jeddah Corniche Hotel.
Al-Bar also worked as director of marketing at the Bonyan Group where she managed Al-Rashid malls in Abha, Madinah, and Jazan, in addition to Marriott hotels in Madinah and two properties in Jazan.
As marketing manager for the Marriott International group in western Saudi Arabia, she oversaw the opening of several hotels, including the Courtyard, Residence Inn Jazan, and Jabal Omar Makkah Marriott.
After joining Hyatt, she was part of the opening of the Jabal Omar Hyatt Makkah, the company’s first branded hotel in Makkah and first Hyatt Regency brand in Saudi Arabia where she developed the marketing plan and introduced the brand and hotel offerings.
Al-Bar gained a bachelor’s degree in English language from King Abdulaziz University and successfully completed several courses to build her marketing foundational skills and techniques.
She also attended a Misk leadership program to obtain on-the-job experience.
Muslim World League launches food baskets project in Pakistan
King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center has also delivered 100 tons of dates as a gift from Saudi Arabia to Pakistan
Updated 30 March 2023
Arab News
RIYADH: The Muslim World League has launched a program for distributing Ramadan food baskets in Pakistan as part of its humanitarian efforts, and to complement the role of Saudi relief institutions around the world.
A celebration at the MWL office in Islamabad marked the event, with Nawaf bin Saeed Al-Malki, the Saudi ambassador to Pakistan, and Dr. Jamal Nasir, caretaker minister of health in Pakistan’s Punjab province, in attendance, along with a number of officials.
Saad bin Masoud Al-Harthy, the MWL’s regional director in Pakistan, said that the program would distribute 3,500 food baskets, each weighing 33 kg, covering a family’s needs for a month.
Al-Harthy added that the program was part of humanitarian efforts the MWL provides in all fields across Pakistan to meet the needs of its people.
He said that the program would benefit thousands of poor and impoverished people and widows in the country.
Nasir expressed his gratitude on behalf of the Pakistani government and the nation to King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. He also thanked MWL’s members for their support of Pakistan.
Meanwhile, the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center has delivered 100 tons of dates as a gift from Saudi Arabia to Pakistan. It was handed over by Al-Malki in the presence of a number of senior Pakistani officials.
The gift comes within the relief and humanitarian programs being offered by the government of King Salman to reach families in need in different areas of the world.
Total number of cases in the Kingdom over the course of the pandemic grew to 833,245
Updated 30 March 2023
Arab News
RIYADH: Saudi authorities reported 270 new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday. As a result, the total number of cases in the Kingdom over the course of the pandemic grew to 833,245.
Of the new infections, 100 were recorded in Riyadh, 29 in Jeddah and 16 in Dammam. Several other cities recorded fewer than 10 new cases each.
The Ministry of Health also confirmed that the Kingdom’s death toll from COVID-19 reached 9,630.
It said that 125 patients had recovered from COVID-19, bringing the total number of recoveries in the Kingdom over the course of the pandemic to 818,920.
The ministry said that 4,695 COVID-19 cases are still active, adding that 6,610 PCR tests were conducted in the past 24 hours, bringing the total number to more than 45 million.
The ministry said of the current cases, 78 patients were in critical condition.
More than 69.5 million COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered since the Kingdom’s immunization campaign began, with over 25 million people fully vaccinated.
Social media paves way for Ramadan food culture in Saudi Arabia
Food companies in the Kingdom create engaging content on social media for consumers
Updated 30 March 2023
Afshan Aziz
JEDDAH: In the spirit of Ramadan, food companies are making the most of the opportunity to gain sales during the changes in meal consumption for the holy month.
Companies are stepping up their marketing via social media by providing cooking tips, advice on culinary skills and recipes.
Goody Kitchen celebrates all foodies through a social media platform that creates and share recipes, and provides cooking hacks and tips.
Hebah Zamzami, Goody Kitchen senior brand manager, told Arab News: “Ramadan is a season which brings people together, and food is one of the best ways to celebrate by sharing joy with loved ones on one table.”
Zamzami said: “Goody Kitchen’s strategy is to evolve the food culture, and this year in Ramadan we’re focusing on evolving the Saudi food culture through our digital platforms.”
“With the help of our Goody Kitchen magazine, readers will be able to return to Saudi roots with a twist. The magazine will consist of inventive expressions of dishes from all corners of the Kingdom, in addition to indispensable advice that will help to shine from Ramadan to Eid,” she said.
Goody Kitchen celebrates all foodies through a social media platform that creates and share recipes, and provides cooking hacks and tips. (Supplied)
The Goody Kitchen magazines have been reaching more than 350,000 food lovers annually, and their masterclasses have received more than 3.8 million views.
Ramadan is the month when more food items are brought and consumed than at any other time of the year.
Abdul Hakeem, national sales head of Al-Kabeer, a leading frozen food manufacturing company, said: “Our main aim is to understand what shoppers look for when it comes to food, especially from our extensive retail range.”
“We have planned to promote Ramadan special snacks such as samosas, spring rolls, paratha, kibbeh, kofta, etc, not only by giving discounts but we also launched a campaign called ‘Yummy Hacks’ on our social media channel where exciting recipes will be shared for our consumers/shoppers.”
Hakeem said that the company aims for 25-30 percent growth in sales during the month of Ramadan.
Most FMCG companies work on maximizing their user engagement through a range of mostly Ramadan-related content, especially sharing recipes, and launching new products through attractive videos.
Abdul Hakeem, national sales head of Al-Kabeer, a leading frozen food manufacturing company, said: “Our main aim is to understand what shoppers look for when it comes to food, especially from our extensive retail range.” (Supplied)
They increase their focus on providing relevant information and knowledge rather than brand promotion, in turn adding value to the business.
Stallions United Trading Company, which has more than 15 F&B brands, created Stallions Kitchen social media accounts on Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat and TikTok as an umbrella for their premium-quality offerings to increase brand awareness and communicate with consumers directly.
Haneen Bakkar, marketing head, said that Ramadan was a big season for the company, and creating the best content for followers was their top priority.
“We make interactive videos through in-house cooking recipes that show how to use our products in an easy way for iftar or suhoor.”
Creating social media offers and boosting the posts through advertisements is one of the marketing strategies, but the main aim is to entertain followers with games and Ramadan riddles, which increases both engagement and traffic to the page.
Shrooq Alzaraa, executive chef at Stallions Kitchen, said: “Creating content that contains the essence of Ramadan and immerses with the consumer’s experience is our main goal. This year, I am creating in-house recipes that reflect the taste of Saudi tradition and also sharing techniques of trending food recipes on TikTok.”
Alzaraa’s quick recipes will connect with women who work and have less time to spend in the kitchen.
