WITH Saudi Arabia’s Hajj & Umrah visitor receipts rising to $16.5 billion in 2012, Fairmont Raffles Hotels International (FRHI), Makkah, the operator of the five-star Makkah Clock Royal Tower, A Fairmont Hotel; Raffles Makkah Palace and Swissôtel Makkah in Saudi Arabia will return to the Arabian Travel Market (ATM) for the third consecutive year.
“With all three of our Makkah properties now fully operational, following the opening of Swissôtel Makkah last Ramadan, we have great expectations from the market and from our presence at ATM. We look forward to capping off another prolific business year for all three of our holy city properties.” said Khaled Yamak, group director of communications and business development, FRHI Makkah.
“Hajj and Umrah tourism receipts were up by 10 per cent last year compared to 2011 figures, reaching $16.5 billion. With the Saudi government also investing heavily into infrastructure projects, our strategy has focused on driving additional business by presenting a cohesive identity for three very unique, yet complementary Makkah properties,” he added.
The 1,487-room Swissôtel Makkah which is currently the largest hotel in the Middle East in terms of number of rooms – opened just before Ramadan last year, and Yamak reports that occupancy levels to date have exceeded initial forecasts with an average above 80 per cent.
FHRI Makkah also reports that GCC travellers remained the number one source market for all three properties in 2012 and 2013 year-to-date, with Turkey, Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia, Indonesia and Malaysia the main feeder markets last year.
Visitors to the FHRI Makkah stand at ATM will gain first-hand insight into the scope of services offered across the three distinctive properties, which Yamak says have been designed to meet the increasingly high expectations of today’s international travellers and religious pilgrims.
“We are incredibly proactive as an operator and understand that our guests are not only looking for high quality services and facilities, but also at the innovations and added value that we bring to the market.”
“The all-suite Raffles Makkah Palace, for example, is a residential sanctuary which offers round-the-clock personal butler service. The hotel is also home to its own Islamic library, with over 2,000 Islamic texts and books for visiting scholars and pilgrims,” remarks Yamak.
The prestigious Makkah Clock Royal Tower, A Fairmont Hotel rounds out the group’s portfolio as the second tallest building in the world. Perched on top of the tower is the renowned Makkah Clock, the highest point of athan (call to prayer) and prayer room in the world. “The Makkah Clock Royal Tower, A Fairmont Hotel combines the very best of Eastern hospitality philosophies and Fairmont worldwide signature service, including the Fairmont Gold floors which provide an exclusive hotel within an hotel experience, and the newly opened Royal Floors- the height of exclusive top-notch hospitality in the holy city,” concluded Yamak.
According to Dr Sahal Bin Abdullah Al-Sabban, undersecretary for Transport and Projects at the Holy Sites for the Ministry of Hajj, the Kingdom is forecasting further increases in the number of pilgrims expected to visit the country during the eight-month Umrah season. A total of 5.5 million pilgrims visited Saudi Arabia last year, versus 4.1 million in 2011.