Tourism Illegal Hajj pilgrims risk fines and deportation Fines for Saudi nationals and deportation for foreign residents taking part in the Hajj pilgrimage without a permit have been announced by the country’s interior ministry. Those who help illegal pilgrims also face jail as the kingdom tries to impose stricter controls over the annual rites. A fine of SAR10,000 ($2,700) will be issued against […] May 8, 2024
Aviation Riyadh Air expands with fleet of narrowbody jets The new Saudi airline Riyadh Air will announce a fleet of narrowbody jets later this year for a first-phase expansion that will eventually include a new terminal to meet Saudi tourism ambitions. Although its widebody aircraft come from the troubled manufacturer Boeing, Riyadh Air declined to say if the latest narrowbody orders would be from […] May 8, 2024
Manufacturing Lucid cuts electric car prices but posts higher revenue Saudi-backed US electric vehicle maker Lucid reported first-quarter revenue above analysts’ estimates this week as it sets to produce more cars this year but selling at cheaper prices to spur sales. The Nasdaq-listed EV company had cut prices of its flagship Air sedans in February by up to 10 percent, as customers globally began to […] May 7, 2024
Analysis Tourism Pilgrims remain bedrock of Saudi tourism plans Saudi tourism is to undergo a massive expansion with religious travellers remaining its bedrock – but some hotel operators are wary of an overheated market. The kingdom is aiming to bring in 150 million visitors per year by 2030, with tourism accounting for 10 percent of non-oil GDP, playing a key role in its economic […] May 7, 2024
Economy Saudi budget deficit rises fourfold in Q1 2024 Saudi Arabia recorded a budget deficit in the first quarter of 2024 of SAR12.4 billion ($3.3 billion), four times higher than a year ago – confirming a revenue squeeze that has raised doubts about the funding of some of the kingdom’s giga-projects. The Q1 deficit in 2023 was SAR2.92 billion, the finance ministry’s quarterly budget […] May 6, 2024
Markets Saudi stock trading slumps as interest jumps in US stocks Saudi trading in US stocks trebled in the fourth quarter of 2023 compared with the previous year to SAR58.7 billion ($15.6 billion), as the kingdom’s interest in US equities revived following the Covid pandemic. Total trading in foreign and domestic markets remains historically low. The transactions in the US market accounted for more than 97 […] May 5, 2024
Mining Saudi industry minister tempts investors with funding incentives Saudi Arabia’s ministry of investments and mineral resources is prepared to finance up to 75 percent of industrial projects in the country, as the kingdom tries to boost its low foreign direct investment (FDI) numbers. Bandar Al-Khorayef, the minister of industry and mineral resourcespointed to well-developed infrastructure across 36 industrial cities, prefabricated factories ready to […] May 3, 2024
Markets Institutions snap up share of Fakeeh Care Group IPO in minutes Institutional investors snapped up their slice of shares in the Saudi healthcare conglomerate Fakeeh Care Group within minutes of the start of the book-building process for the company’s IPO. Fakeeh Care Group, which was founded in Jeddah in 1978, has set the price range for its initial public offering (IPO) at between SAR53 ($14.13) and […] May 2, 2024
Transport Passenger numbers on Saudi trains leap 23% in a year Passenger traffic on Saudi railways rose 23 percent year on year to 2.7 million people in the first quarter of 2024, the state operator said this week, as the kingdom pushes to improve infrastructure before a 2030 deadline. The railway system also saw a 9 percent rise in the volume of minerals and goods transported, […] May 2, 2024
Economy Saudi economy contracts for third quarter in a row Saudi Arabia’s economy contracted by 1.8 percent year on year in the first quarter of 2024, while growth in non-oil activities slowed to its lowest rate in a year, statistics released this week show. The country’s GDP fell for the third quarter in a row, although the drop eased from the 4.3 percent contraction in […] May 1, 2024
Mining Manara takes a $2.5bn stake in Brazilian mining giant Manara Minerals, a joint venture between Saudi Arabian Mining Co (Maaden) and the sovereign Public Investment Fund (PIF), has completed a $2.5 billion deal to acquire a stake in a subsidiary of Brazilian giant Vale. Maaden said in a filing to the Saudi Exchange that it has acquired 10 percent of Vale Base Metals Limited […] May 1, 2024
Logistics Major logistics centre planned for Saudi’s third city A major logistics centre is planned for Dammam in Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province that will be connected to an expanded Dammam port and a new city metro system. The regional logistics centre in Dammam, Saudi Arabia’s third largest city, will cover eight square kilometres and account for 55 percent of the Eastern Province’s targeted logistics […] May 1, 2024
Video length: 07:03 VIDEO Giga-projects Third of Vision 2030 projects ‘completed’ government says One third of 1,064 planned projects have been completed so far under the Vision 2030 economic transformation plan, the Saudi government said in its annual progress report on the reform programme. The report also said 561 initiatives were on track, according to the state-owned Saudi Press Agency, publishing its major findings. It was not […] April 26, 2024
People & Lifestyle Saudi director’s labour of love takes the kingdom to Cannes For the first time a Saudi film has been selected to compete in the Cannes film festival, catapulting its little-known self-taught director into the limelight. Tawfik Alzaidi was so surprised that he’d managed to break through to the big time that he kept the news that his film Norah had been accepted for the ‘Un […] April 26, 2024
Trade Florida port service could increase Saudi non-oil exports Saudi Arabia’s exports are set to improve following the introduction of a new container service that will link Jeddah with Florida. Non-oil exports rose 4.4 percent year on year in February while production cuts led oil exports to slip to 77 percent of the total, the government said. Jacksonville Port Authority (Jaxport) in Florida said […] April 25, 2024
Retail Saudi mall operator takes aim at Dubai’s retail crown Saudi Arabia’s leading mall operator is looking to challenge Dubai for the title of the top retail location in the Gulf, with plans to add five more locations by 2027. Bruno Wehbe, chief operating officer of Cenomi Centers, said the Jawharat Riyadh would include new elements such as 3D holographic projections, food halls with live […] April 25, 2024
Giga-projects Saudi giga-project Diriyah Gate targets 2027 completion Diriyah Gate, one of the first Saudi giga-projects, said this week that it was on target for completion by late 2027. The opening of the project’s first hotel is now rescheduled for later this year. “We’re looking forward to the conclusion of our project, probably toward the end of 2027,” said Andrew Tonnor, Diriyah Gate’s […] April 25, 2024
Trade 300 UK company chiefs to descend on Riyadh for expo The UK is sending hundreds of business executives to a trade expo in Riyadh in May as part of a year-long drive to win contracts in Saudi Arabia, as the Gulf state seeks to increase foreign investment in its giga-projects. “The Great Futures launch event in Riyadh on 14-15 May 2024 aims to bring to […] April 23, 2024
Economy Saudi Arabia world’s fifth biggest arms buyer in 2023 Saudi Arabia remains the world’s fifth largest arms buyer, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. The think tank’s latest report said that Saudi Arabia spent $76 billion on arms in 2023, a 4 percent increase on the previous year, making it the biggest spender after the US, China, Russia and India. The kingdom’s […] April 23, 2024
Economy US treasury holdings high in Saudi Arabia’s estimation Saudi Arabia’s holdings of US treasuries stayed close to a two-year high in February at $130.5 billion as yields rose in recent months, according to new data. The Saudi central bank’s holdings fell $3.2 million month on month, or 0.3 percent, to $130.5 billion, maintaining Saudi Arabia’s place at number 17 in the list of […] April 22, 2024
Food & Drink Saudi Arabia aims to double local honey production Saudi Arabia has invested SAR140 million ($37 million) to support its nascent rural honey industry, the government said this week. The country has raised subsidised production by 41 percent since 2021 and wants to double output by 2026. The Sustainable Agricultural Rural Development Program, known as Reef Saudi, said its funding supported over 10,500 people […] April 22, 2024
Video length: 07:03 Analysis Giga-projects Saudi Arabia strives to counter giga-project doubts As Saudi Arabia ramps up its global tour to attract more giga-project investment, doubts have begun to set in over costs and whether they will meet the imminent 2030 deadline. The kingdom’s officials put on a big show at an international real estate event in Cannes in March and this week Neom kicked off the […] April 18, 2024
