This section provides information on the different available means of transport including Airlines, Railways, Roads and Seaports. You can also find here information relating to Telecommunications, Healthcare and Educational services.
Accommodation
The cities and towns across the Kingdom offer good housing facilities including apartments, private villas and compounds. Companies employing large numbers of expatriates normally have private facilities for their employees.
Expatriates have a marked preference for residing in compounds, although many independent villas and apartments are available.
Compounds usually offer a high level of recreational facilities and group transportation – for example for wives to visit the shopping centers and malls.
Transportation
Air travel is the preferred method of travel within the Kingdom because of the distances separating the main cities. Saudi Arabian Airlines (SAUDIA) is the national carrier and has recently added 60 new Boeing aircraft to its fleet. It has a mandate to privatize and is currently at the beginning stages of outlining a privatization plan. In 2000, the award-winning SAUDIA carried 13 million passengers on 117,291 flights. All major airlines in the world offer services in and out of the Kingdom.
Riyadh's King Khalid International airport is 35 kilometers outside of Riyadh. The airport has facilities such as a hotel, a buffet, a bank, a post office, shops and many rental car agencies. Jeddah's King Abdulaziz International airport is 18 kilometers North of Jeddah, also with a hotel, restaurants, a bank, a post office, shops, car hiring agencies and special pilgrimage facilities. Dammam's King Fahd International airport is 50 kilometers Northwest of Dammam with facilities including a mosque, a cargo terminal, a restaurant and a duty free shop.
The Kingdom has multi-track highways and daily train service between Riyadh and Dammam. At the end of 2000, the Kingdom had 155,237 kilometers of paved roads, and in the last few years has been adding to that at a pace of about 2,500 kilometers per year.
The Kingdom owns the largest marine network in the Middle East consisting of eight ports, or six commercial ports and two industrial ports. They are Dammam Seaport, Jeddah Islamic Port, Jubail Commercial Port, Riyadh Dry Port, Jizan Port, Dhiba Port, and Yanbu Port and King Fahd Industrial Port in Jubail.
Car rental facilities are available in all major cities.
Telecommunications
The Kingdom has witnessed rapid advancements in the field of telecommunications. There are 1,000 telephone circuits with direct access to 152 countries. At the end of March 2003, the Saudi Telecom Company (STC) operated 3.96 million fixed lines and 7.5 million mobile lines. Although mobile phone penetration is at less than 10 percent of the population, rapid expansion and upgrading of the network is under way. International telephone calls can be made to almost anywhere in the world. Internet services are freely available and the main cities have several Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and Internet café's. High speed DSL Internet is also available.
The cost of mobile phone service in Saudi Arabia varies on the type of plan chosen. The basic service will cost SR 300 (US $80) for installation plus SR 60 (US $16) per month. Local and nationwide calls cost SR 0.50 (US $0.13) per minute at peak hours and SR 0.40 (US $0.11) at off-peak hours. An additional one-time SR 100 (US $27) installation charge gives access to international calls, the fees for which vary depending upon duration and location of the call. We advice you to visit the Saudi Telecom Company (STC) website for detailed information.
Healthcare
Medical technology is continuously being upgraded in Saudi Arabia. The Kingdom has its own facilities to train doctors, nurses and other medical personnel, and Saudi Arabians rarely travel abroad to get specialized medical treatment. These services now extend to the most remote communities in the country. The private sector, which makes a vital contribution to health services, has expanded over the past decade. It operates a number of hospitals and clinics in the country. Major hospitals provide all sorts of sophisticated treatments including open-heart surgery, kidney transplants and cancer therapy. Saudi Arabia has one of the World's largest and best-equipped eye hospitals, the King Khaled Eye Specialist Hospital, and one of the largest medical facilities in the Middle East, the King Fahd Medical City in Riyadh. The complex includes various medical departments and provides housing for approximately 3000 employees.
Approximately 11,350 doctors, nurses and other medical personnel, including the Saudi Red Crescent Society, provide medical service to the millions of people who visit the Kingdom for the annual pilgrimage of Hajj. Immunization against TB, polio, hepatitis and tetanus is freely available. Medical insurance schemes are available at reasonable cost.
Education
Saudi Arabia's nationwide educational system comprises eight universities, more than 24,000 schools and a large number of colleges and other educational and training institutions. The system is open to every citizen and provides students with free education, books and health services. The government allocates over 25% of the total budget to education including vocational training, and spends around 13.17 billion U.S. dollars on primary education and research.
All levels of education are free for Saudi nationals, and private schools are available for children of foreigners working in Saudi Arabia. These international schools offer good education for children up to 14 years. Some foreign schools offer education up to 16 years.
Accommodation
The cities and towns across the Kingdom offer good housing facilities including apartments, private villas and compounds. Companies employing large numbers of expatriates normally have private facilities for their employees.
Expatriates have a marked preference for residing in compounds, although many independent villas and apartments are available.
Compounds usually offer a high level of recreational facilities and group transportation – for example for wives to visit the shopping centers and malls.
Transportation
Air travel is the preferred method of travel within the Kingdom because of the distances separating the main cities. Saudi Arabian Airlines (SAUDIA) is the national carrier and has recently added 60 new Boeing aircraft to its fleet. It has a mandate to privatize and is currently at the beginning stages of outlining a privatization plan. In 2000, the award-winning SAUDIA carried 13 million passengers on 117,291 flights. All major airlines in the world offer services in and out of the Kingdom.
Riyadh's King Khalid International airport is 35 kilometers outside of Riyadh. The airport has facilities such as a hotel, a buffet, a bank, a post office, shops and many rental car agencies. Jeddah's King Abdulaziz International airport is 18 kilometers North of Jeddah, also with a hotel, restaurants, a bank, a post office, shops, car hiring agencies and special pilgrimage facilities. Dammam's King Fahd International airport is 50 kilometers Northwest of Dammam with facilities including a mosque, a cargo terminal, a restaurant and a duty free shop.
The Kingdom has multi-track highways and daily train service between Riyadh and Dammam. At the end of 2000, the Kingdom had 155,237 kilometers of paved roads, and in the last few years has been adding to that at a pace of about 2,500 kilometers per year.
The Kingdom owns the largest marine network in the Middle East consisting of eight ports, or six commercial ports and two industrial ports. They are Dammam Seaport, Jeddah Islamic Port, Jubail Commercial Port, Riyadh Dry Port, Jizan Port, Dhiba Port, and Yanbu Port and King Fahd Industrial Port in Jubail.
Car rental facilities are available in all major cities.
Telecommunications
The Kingdom has witnessed rapid advancements in the field of telecommunications. There are 1,000 telephone circuits with direct access to 152 countries. At the end of March 2003, the Saudi Telecom Company (STC) operated 3.96 million fixed lines and 7.5 million mobile lines. Although mobile phone penetration is at less than 10 percent of the population, rapid expansion and upgrading of the network is under way. International telephone calls can be made to almost anywhere in the world. Internet services are freely available and the main cities have several Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and Internet café's. High speed DSL Internet is also available.
The cost of mobile phone service in Saudi Arabia varies on the type of plan chosen. The basic service will cost SR 300 (US $80) for installation plus SR 60 (US $16) per month. Local and nationwide calls cost SR 0.50 (US $0.13) per minute at peak hours and SR 0.40 (US $0.11) at off-peak hours. An additional one-time SR 100 (US $27) installation charge gives access to international calls, the fees for which vary depending upon duration and location of the call. We advice you to visit the Saudi Telecom Company (STC) website for detailed information.
Healthcare
Medical technology is continuously being upgraded in Saudi Arabia. The Kingdom has its own facilities to train doctors, nurses and other medical personnel, and Saudi Arabians rarely travel abroad to get specialized medical treatment. These services now extend to the most remote communities in the country. The private sector, which makes a vital contribution to health services, has expanded over the past decade. It operates a number of hospitals and clinics in the country. Major hospitals provide all sorts of sophisticated treatments including open-heart surgery, kidney transplants and cancer therapy. Saudi Arabia has one of the World's largest and best-equipped eye hospitals, the King Khaled Eye Specialist Hospital, and one of the largest medical facilities in the Middle East, the King Fahd Medical City in Riyadh. The complex includes various medical departments and provides housing for approximately 3000 employees.
Approximately 11,350 doctors, nurses and other medical personnel, including the Saudi Red Crescent Society, provide medical service to the millions of people who visit the Kingdom for the annual pilgrimage of Hajj. Immunization against TB, polio, hepatitis and tetanus is freely available. Medical insurance schemes are available at reasonable cost.
Education
Saudi Arabia's nationwide educational system comprises eight universities, more than 24,000 schools and a large number of colleges and other educational and training institutions. The system is open to every citizen and provides students with free education, books and health services. The government allocates over 25% of the total budget to education including vocational training, and spends around 13.17 billion U.S. dollars on primary education and research.
All levels of education are free for Saudi nationals, and private schools are available for children of foreigners working in Saudi Arabia. These international schools offer good education for children up to 14 years. Some foreign schools offer education up to 16 years.
No comments:
Post a Comment