FRONT & CENTER
TBY talks to Osama Al-Bar, Mayor of Makkah, on major new infrastructure projects, religious tourism, and smart city initiatives.
BIOGRAPHY
Osama Al-Bar has been Mayor of Makkah since 1997. He has a PhD in environmental physics from Nottingham and a master’s degree in meteorology, as well as a bachelor of science degree from the College of Science, King Abdulaziz University, in Jeddah. He was earlier Dean of the Institute of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques for Hajj Research and Director General Designate of Hajj Research Center, UMAU. Al-Bar is Vice President of the Hajj Media Council and sits on the Higher Board of Makkah Development, the Hajj Central Committee, and the Execution Committee of the Higher Board of Makkah Development.What were some of the highlights in Makkah this year, both in terms of visitors for Hajj and Umrah, and also from an organizational perspective?
As part of Vision 2030, it was announced that the Hajj and Umrah would become a source of economic generation in the country. One of the pillars of the Vision is to increase the number of visitors coming to Makkah to 20 million by 2020, and 30 million by 2030. The infrastructure in Makkah is prepared for such an increase, especially after finishing the expansion project of Masjid Al-Haram, the Great Mosque. The roads, particularly the ring roads, have also been improved, and the Makkah-Madinah high-speed railway is expected to be finished by the end of this year. This will be commissioning tests in the first half of 2017, and will hopefully begin to transport people by the end of 2017. All these improvements are set to transform Makkah and we hope that these developments will go through. In addition to more than 20 four and five-star hotels, there are mega housing projects, including the Jabal Omar complex, which has just been completed.
What is your outlook regarding the completion of major infrastructure projects in Makkah?
Although there is a small chance of delay due to the financial crisis, there should not be any risks concerning the completion of these projects themselves. They will go well, especially the ones that need to be in service for the pilgrimage and visitors to Makkah and Madinah. We expect a substantial increase in the numbers this year. Last year, we had about 12 million visitors, mostly during Umrah. The Hajj attracted about 2.3 million people in 2016, 1.3 million of whom were visitors from outside of Saudi Arabia. One of the megaprojects that we hope will be started in 2017 is the development of the Mashair, the areas for performance of the Hajj, especially Mina and Arafat, which will increase the capacity of the Hajj. The capacity in the Mashair is currently limited to fewer than 2 million people, but once we start this project, it will accommodate about 4 million pilgrims a year.
A big part of Vision 2030 is religious tourism. What would you also like to see from the governmental side in terms of easing the procedure for international visitors to Makkah?
There is a regulation that has already eased the process for businessmen who travel to Saudi Arabia. It will be a multiple-entry visa lasting from one to three years. Vision 2030 will facilitate visa issuance to visitors. One of the pillars of the Vision is to increase non-oil income.
You feel strongly about turning Makkah into a smart city, to work with innovation and renewable sources of energy. What is your reasoning for this?
If we go through with the plans for making Makkah a smart city, it will first serve the visitors coming from the Islamic world, so they will know everything about the city, its hotels, and services. It will also act as a model for other cities in the Islamic world. We have made considerable progress regarding connectivity. As far as the internet and applications are concerned, there is a new company now established by Umm al-Qura University called Wadi Makkah. This young company with innovative ideas is working on applications especially designed for Masjid Al-Haram and Mina. For instance, there is an indoor navigation system of the Grand Mosque called Al-Maqsad. At the moment, we are working on an application for parking lots in Makkah, and another one for city cleaning and smart systems to collect garbage and optimize the journey for collecting it. There is a trend in Saudi Arabia in terms of solar or renewable energy, since the central government has established a city called King Abdullah City for Atomic and Renewable Energy. There are plans for having different sources of energy other than the traditional use of petroleum.
FRONT & CENTER
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Column
YB Pehin Dato Lim Jock Seng, Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office & Second Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Brunei
TBY talks to YB Pehin Dato Lim Jock Seng, Minister at the Prime Minister's Office & Second Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Brunei, on the sector.
read articleReview
A Crude Awakening
The Kingdom has made renewables a critical aspect of its ambitious Vision 2030 effort to diversify its economy and wean itself from a strictly carbon-based diet, not to mention empower local businesses and individuals to take up the mantle and lead the energy sector into the next generation.
read articleInterview
Abdulaziz AbdulKarim, Vice President of Procurement & Supply Chain Management (PSCM) , Saudi Aramco,
TBY talks to Abdulaziz AbdulKarim, Vice President of Procurement & Supply Chain Management (PSCM) at Saudi Aramco, on the IKTVA program, supporting local content, and looking back over a successful year.
read articleInterview
Ayman Abdullah Alfallaj, CEO, Thiqah
TBY talks to Ayman Abdullah Alfallaj, CEO of Thiqah, on how the private sector can keep pace with the speed of public reforms, delivering a strong and lasting value proposition, and integrating the fruits of privatization into the public sector.
read articleFocus: Technology Investments
Investment Calling
A technological revolution is underway in the Kingdom. Already one of the most tech-savvy nations in the Middle East, the Saudi market has long sought a thriving domestic technology and innovation scene. And with Vision 2030, it is on course to deliver just that.
read articleReview
A Hejaz Unhindered
An ambitious series of road and rail projects from the Jordanian border down to the Indian Ocean are slated to open in part before the end of 2017. They bring the Kingdom that much nearer to its goal of greater non-carbon-based economic integration with the world.
read articleInterview
Sulaiman bin Abdullah Al-Hamdan, Former Minister of Transport and Minister, Civil Service
TBY talks to Sulaiman bin Abdullah Al-Hamdan, Former Minister of Transport and current Minister of Civil Service, on an attractive legislative framework for investment, railway linkages, and port developments.
read articleInterview
Rumaih M. Al-Rumaih, President, Public Transport Authority (PTA
TBY talks to Rumaih M. Al-Rumaih, President of Public Transport Authority (PTA) & Acting President of Saudi Railway Organization, on teaming up with commercially committed partners, making sure the Kingdom's land and sea bridges are of the first order, and providing employment for all the Kingdom's inhabitants.
read articleInterview
Nabeel M. Al-Amudi, President, Saudi Ports Authority, and Minister of Transport
TBY talks to Nabeel M. Al-Amudi, Minister of Transport, and President of Saudi Ports Authority, on optimally restricting concession agreements, resolving bottlenecks in the logistics chain, and privatizing as rapidly as possible.
read articleInterview
Khaled Bin Abdullah Al Hogail, CEO & Managing Director , Saudi Public Transport Company (SAPTCO)
TBY talks to Khaled Bin Abdullah Al Hogail, CEO & Managing Director of the Saudi Public Transport Company (SAPTCO), on the importance of strong and rational regulations, knowledge transfers, and unifying public and private transportation networks.
read articleInterview
Imad El-Zein, CEO, Auto World-Sixt Saudi Arabia
TBY talks to Imad El-Zein, CEO of Auto World-Sixt Saudi Arabia, on growing market share in challenging circumstances, partnering with world-class players to boost its local presence, and combining better services with lower costs.
read articleInterview
Saleh H. Al-Ghamdi, Acting CEO, Saudi Air Navigation Services Company (SANS)
TBY talks to Saleh H. Al-Ghamdi, Acting CEO of Saudi Air Navigation Services Company (SANS), on maximizing safe and effective services, effectively increasing the rate of Saudization, and easing the pathway of women into the workforce.
read articleInterview
Khalil Kutubkhanah, CEO, Jeddah Development and Urban Regeneration Company (JDURC)
TBY talks to Ibrahim Khalil Kutubkhanah, CEO of Jeddah Development and Urban Regeneration Company (JDURC), on Jeddah's unplanned settlements, the company's redevelopment projects, and its partnership model with the private sector.
read articleInterview
Dr. Khalid Bin Mohammed Al Shaibani, Deputy Minister, Planning and Health & Director of the Vision Realization Office
TBY talks to Dr. Khalid Bin Mohammed Al Shaibani, Deputy Minister for Planning and Health & Director of the Vision Realization Office, on reforms within the Ministry of Health, the corporatization of healthcare provision, and transformations in care delivery.
read articleInterview
Mohanad A. Dahlan, CEO, University of Business and Technology (UBT) Company
TBY talks to Mohanad A. Dahlan, CEO of University of Business and Technology (UBT) Company, on the evolution of the company, education investments, and upcoming sectors that will need support from the sector.
read articleFocus: Universities
Broad and Deep
As part of the continuing decentralization of higher education in Saudi Arabia, individual universities are pursuing their own paths to grow their faculties, engage with various international stakeholders, and ultimately move toward a more privatized future.
read articleInterview
Rafique Izhiman, Area General Manager KSA Jeddah, Yanbu Hotels
TBY talks to Rafique Izhiman, Area General Manager KSA Jeddah/Yanbu Hotels & General Manager, Intercontinental Hotel Group (IHG), Jeddah, on the role the firm plays in the market, expanding its footprint in the country, and expectations for 2017.
read article