Travel Coordinator Services

Here is how this works in practice. Our Saudi travel coordinators book and manage cast and crew movement across the kingdom's national carriers. The main carriers are Saudia and Riyadh Air. The main airports are Riyadh King Khalid Global, Jeddah King Abdulaziz Global, Dammam King Fahd Global, AlUla Prince Abdul Majeed Bin Abdulaziz Global, and NEOM Bay Airport. Cross-border travel via Dubai runs through the 90-min DXB to RUH flight or the 12-hour E11 highway.

The hotel chain matches each shoot location. AlUla shoots use Habitas AlUla, Banyan Tree AlUla, Shaden Resort AlUla, and Cloud7 AlUla. Recent AlUla shoots have Kandahar (2023, Gerard Butler, $43M, dir. Ric Roman Waugh), Desert Warrior (2024, Anthony Mackie, dir. Rupert Wyatt), Cherry (Apple TV+), and Hellraiser plates (2022).

Jeddah shoots use Ritz-Carlton Jeddah (the Red Sea Global Film Festival press window venue), Park Hyatt Jeddah, and Waldorf Astoria Jeddah. Riyadh shoots use Four Seasons Riyadh, Ritz-Carlton Riyadh, Hilton Riyadh, and Boulevard Hilton. NEOM shoots use Bajdah lodging and the Sindalah resort (opened Oct 2024).

Per-diems align with the SAR peg at 3.75:1 to USD. Zero personal income tax keeps net pay competitive for global crews.

Here is the short of it. Visa and residency routes through several authorities. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs handles work-visa entry. The Ministry of Human Resources handles work permits. An Iqama (residency permit) is needed for stays over 90 days. Film Crew Visa processing routes through GCAM set up with the Saudi Film Commission.

Schedules handle the local calendar. Prayer-time pauses fire five times daily (Fajr, Dhuhr, Asr, Maghrib, Isha) plus Friday around 12:00-13:30 — that affects check-in and check-out timing. During Ramadan, the iftar-to-suhoor 9pm-2am window is peak. Daytime restaurant operations are off-limits. Hotel iftar buffets run after Maghrib sunset, and suhoor runs pre-Fajr.

Climate windows also shape travel. October-April is the ideal shoot window at 15-30°C. June-September brings 45-50°C extreme heat.

We brief female crew on arrival. Modest dress is the baseline. Abaya is recommended in public, but hijab is not needed for foreign women. No alcohol is allowed kingdom-wide — Saudi national law applies to hotels. Mecca and Medina are off-limits to Muslim visitors only.

Here is the breakdown. Compliance covers many bases. GOSI payroll sign-ups applies. 15% VAT is recoverable for global shoots via ZATCA. Travel cover routes through Tawuniya, Bupa Arabia, Walaa Insurance, or AXA Cooperative. Saudization Nitaqat quotas drive a 5% rebates uplift on the CDF 40% rebates. The workweek runs Sunday-Thursday. There is no domestic Saudi travel union — global IATSE and DGA travel-desk planning routes via Dubai EPS bureaus.