Social media news feeds have been abuzz with the announcement that King Salman Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud is visiting Indonesia starting today, Wednesday.
The trip to the world’s largest Muslim-majority country is said to be his first in more than 40 years. But what got everyone’s attention the most is that the nine-day visit has been keeping hundreds of people in the travel, hospitality and cargo-handling industry busy.
Here’s why:
Tonnes of cargo; 1,500-man entourage
The king of Saudi Arabia is toting with a colossal luggage weighing a total of 459 metric tonnes and is travelling with more than a thousand people.
Cleary not a believer in travelling light, the king has taken with him two electric elevators and two limousines. He is accompanied by a 1,500-person entourage, which includes 25 princes and 10 ministers.
Hundreds of workers
Adji Gunawan, president of JAS, the Indonesian company commissioned to deal with the king’s cargo, has told Antara News Agency that the limousines and elevators had been transported ahead of the royal arrival.
Gunawan said he had commissioned 178 of his staff in Jakarta and 394 more in Denpasar to take care of the king's huge travel essentials that were scheduled to arrive days before the visit.
Seven passenger jets
Considering the size of the delegation, the king and his party have been booked to fly with seven planes, which includes six Boeing aircraft and one Hercules, according to the Jakarta Post.
200 rooms
As for his accommodation, four hotels have been booked, including The Westin Jakarta, Raffles Hotel Jakarta, Ritz-Carlton Jakarta Mega Kuningan and JW Marriott. In at least one hotel, around 200 rooms have been reserved, according to reports.
It’s not the first time the royal leader has travelled big. Back in 2015, a beach at the French Riviera had to be closed during the visit of the king and his 1,000-man delegation.
During the same trip, the king had an elevator installed from his coastal villa, to provide the royal party ease of access to the public beach.
He’s not the only state leader who has travelled in grandiose fashion, either. Former US president Barack Obama flew to Africa in 2013, along with 56 vehicles, including 14 limousines and hundreds of security personnel, according to Washington Post.
When the American president went to Brussels about a year later, his staff booked three cargo planes, and transported 45 vehicles and 900 members of the entourage, according to the Guardian.
