Crowne Plaza Kuwait
Language
Though Arabic is the national language of Kuwait, English is widely used in business and the service sector.
Meeting the People of Kuwait
The handshake is the most popular form of greeting in Kuwait. On a first meeting, the giving of a small symbolic gift is appreciated.
Kuwaitis, like many Arabic people, enjoy entertaining guests away from the home. They place great importance on the family unit and the traditional values of hospitality, courtesy and respect.
Although Kuwaitis are keen to see their nation keep pace with modern times, they are also equally keen to safeguard their heritage, and so recent government initiatives have been undertaken to preserve the country's historic sites and monuments.
Greeting
Although many Kuwaitis speak English, the learning and use of Arabic words or phrases is always appreciated.
Dress Codes
Kuwaitis place great importance on wearing their national dress of dishdashes, with the head covered by a white headcloth. Women traditionally wear yashmaks. Non-Muslim visitors to Kuwait dress modestly as a matter of respect. To a Muslim, exposed flesh is considered disrespectful, therefore the wearing of clothes that fully cover the body is always appreciated. Indeed, when the temperature rises, it pays to dress in cool layers.
Money
Currency
The Kuwaiti dinar (KD) is the unit of currency. The KD is the sum total of 1000 fils.
Bank notes come in denominations of KD 20, KD 10, KD 5, and KD 1, and 500 and 250 fils. Coins come in denominations of 100, 50, 20, 5 and 1 fils.
Credit Cards
The world's major credit cards, including MasterCard, Visa, American Express and Diners Club, are widely accepted at establishments throughout Kuwait.
Traveller's cheques are also widely accepted but are preferred in either US dollars or pounds sterling.
ATMs
Automated teller machines are located at the banks.
Banks
Bank opening hours are generally 8:00 am to 12:00 or 2.00 pm, Sunday to Thursday.
Tipping
Service charges in the region of 15% are usually added to the bill in hotels and restaurants. Tipping is not generally expected, but a gratuity of 10% for good service is appreciated.
Visas and Passports
All visitors to Kuwait, with the exception of nationals from other Gulf states, must have a full national passport (valid for at least six months) and visa. Visas are issued through the hotel and are generally valid for one month.
Families might like to note that wives can travel using their husband's passport, or children under their father's passport.
Customs
Visitors to Kuwait can bring the following duty-free items into the country, providing such items are for personal use only:
- 500 cigarettes or 907 grammes of tobacco
The following items cannot be imported under Kuwaiti law:
Alcohol, certain animal products such as pork, bacon and pigskin, unsealed milk products, narcotics, fresh vegetables, food prepared abroad, unsealed olives and pickles, shellfish and related products, mineral water, fresh figs.
Videos and books are subject to censorship depending on their content. More detailed information on importing personal goods can be obtained from the Ministry of Commerce.
Currency Regulations
Visitors can import or export any amount of currency with the exception of gold bullion, which by law must be declared.
Medical Requirements
Visitors should have private medical insurance including cover for repatriation costs should the need arise.
Business Hours
The working week is from Sunday to Thursday, therefore most businesses and educational establishments close on Friday and Saturday.
Shop trading hours in Kuwait are generally 9:00 am to 1:00 pm and later in the day from 4:30 pm to 9:00 pm, Saturday to Thursday. Friday opening hours are from 3:30 pm to 8:30 pm. Some malls are open from 10:00 am to 10:00 pm throughout the week.
Government office hours are from 7:00 am to 2:30 pm, Sunday to Thursday during the winter, and from 7:00 am to 2:00 pm during the summer. Other office hours are from 8:30 am to 1:00 pm and from 4:00 pm to 8:00 pm.
National Public Holidays
On the following dates, shops and businesses will either close or trade for limited hours.
Please note that in the following list Muslim festivals are not included due to the dates being fixed according to the various phases of the Moon. During the lunar month of Ramadan preceding Eid al-Fitr (End of Ramadan), business working hours may be disrupted.
- 1st January - New Year's Day
- 25th February - Kuwait National Day
- 26th February - Liberation Day
- Mount Arafat Day
- Birth of the Prophet
- Leilat al-Meiraj (Ascension of the Prophet)
Religious holidays follow the Muslim lunar calendar, which differs from the Gregorian calendar by 11 days. Ramadan requires Muslims to fast through each day from sunrise to sunset. Ramadan is immediately followed by a three-day festival of feasting called Eid al-Fitr. The festival marks the end of Ramadan.
Religion
The vast majority of the 2.2 million Kuwaiti population - some 90% - are Muslims of the Sunni and Shia faiths. There are also a substantial number of Christians and Hindus. Kuwaiti law guarantees every citizen the right to religious freedom.
Ghadir-é Khom commemorates the appointment by the Prophet Mohammed of His successor Emam Ali, whilst the birthday of Mohammed is known as Rabi-ol-Avval.
Places of Worship
The Grand Mosque is Kuwait's largest and most modern mosque. It has the capacity to accommodate over 5500 worshippers. In addition to Islamic mosques, there are churches for the various Christian denominations.
Region Specifics
Kuwait City successfully balances two worlds - that of Arab traditional life and modern Western influences. Here, the city's oldest monument, the Seif Palace, and its most dominant new landmark, the Swedish-designed Kuwait Towers, are just two contrasting examples of a city that looks to the future whilst remaining true to the cultural origins of its people.
Newspapers and Magazines
British, American and European newspapers and magazines are available through the Concierge.
There are two Kuwaiti-produced English language newspapers - the Arab Times and the Kuwait Times. Both carry comprehensive information on local, national and international news. Arabic readers have a choice of five national newspapers.
Climate
Kuwait enjoys a variable continental climate. Summer months are between June and October and the rainy season starts in December and lasts to the month of February. This is the time of the year when the desert vegetation begins to bloom.
Time
Clocks in Kuwait are on GMT / UTC plus three hours.
Weights and Measures
Officially, Kuwait uses metric measurements, though traditional measures are still used in the regions.
Electricity
The electric current is 220V and 240V 50Hz.
Government and Economy
Government
The State of Kuwait (Dawlat al-Kuwayt) is a constitutional monarchy under Amir His Highness Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah. The Amir is selected by members of the ruling Al-Sabah family, of which he is also a member.
Executive power is exercised by the Amir, who appoints the Council of Ministers headed by Kuwait's Prime Minister, His Highness Sheikh Nasir Al-MUHAMMAD Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah. Although there are no political parties as such, there are formal political groups whose role it is to support ministers and candidates. A unicameral National Assembly comprising 50 members is elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms.
Currently, only men over the age of 21 in civilian occupations can vote, but the Amir recently decreed that women would be able to vote and run for office in the general elections of 2003, although this was subject to government approval.
Economy
Since 1938, when oil was discovered at Burgan, Kuwait has become one of the world's major oil producers. By the time of the country's independence in the early 1960s, Kuwait was producing a staggering 16.5 million tons annually.
Today, oil accounts for over 50% of total output and 95% of export income. 10% of total oil income is placed in a special reserve fund for the day when oil reserves are exhausted. The fund is administered by the Kuwaiti Investment Office.
Kuwait is keen to develop a more diverse economy by supporting and encouraging new industries. Light manufacturing industries have benefited from incentives that include exemption from paying customs duties on imported machinery or raw materials.
There has been a steady growth in the manufacture of products for the building industry - originally disrupted by the Iraqi invasion of 1990.
Kuwait's major industries include petroleum, petrochemicals and desalination. The largest customers for Kuwaiti oil include the US, Japan, Germany and the UK.
Environment
Kuwait is, for the most part, a flat land of desert and scrub situated at the north-western corner of the Persian Gulf. The bulk of the country is below 200 metres (660 feet) in elevation, with the only hilly ground about 300 metres (1000 feet) above sea level.
Only a mere 9% of the land can sustain arable farming in the regions of Wafra and Jahra, which both have natural water supplies. Other regions take their water from desalination plants.
Vegetation is little more than native bushes and scrub that have adapted to the dry environment. The soil contains a high concentration of saline.
Despite an otherwise arid environment, Kuwaitis have a deep affiliation with their native land, and when the desert begins to bloom in the rainy season (December to February) love nothing better than to drive out to the desert on camping expeditions.
Kuwait City is currently being landscaped, with green areas set aside and the planting of vegetation that will thrive in the hot, dry climate.