Company Insights Saudia Aviation Saudia News EXCLUSIVE Tourism VisitBritain to target GCC as tourist spending recovers Spending by GCC-based tourists visiting the UK climbed above pre-pandemic levels for the first time in 2022, according to latest data from VisitBritain, the national tourism agency. While visitor numbers from the Gulf were still 18 percent below 2019 figures at 202,000 during the second quarter, the amount they spent rose by 7 percent to […] December 29, 2022 Analysis Aviation Private jet demand to Doha soars despite World Cup price hikes Private jet operators have reported a massive surge in demand for flights to Doha during the World Cup, despite the rise in operating costs caused by the high number of aircraft flying in and out of the Qatari capital. “So far, the World Cup has been an incredibly exciting — albeit intensely busy time — […] December 14, 2022 Saudi Arabia signs deals worth $171m to expand Jeddah port Saudi Ports Authority (Mawani) has signed two contracts worth 642 million riyals ($171 million) with major contractors to deepen berths and build new ones at Jeddah Islamic Port, according to the state-owned Saudi Press Agency. The contract with Modern Building Leaders, in association with Huta Hegerfeld Saudia, will deepen harbour approach channels, turning basins, waterways […] October 10, 2022 Exclusive Aviation Private jets face backlog during World Cup Qatar authorities are putting restrictions in place to manage the expected surge in demand for landing slots from private jets flying to Doha for the World Cup. Operators have warned that wealthy football fans will need to be flexible with their plans, especially around the later stages of the tournament which takes place from November […] September 19, 2022 Tourism Dubai hotel rates surge by up to 75% during World Cup Dubai Marathon has been forced to move its upcoming race in December 2022 to February 2023, as organisers said the massive demand by football fans to base themselves in the emirate has resulted in a lack of hotel rooms, with average daily rates during the tournament rising by as much as 75 percent. “Thousands of […] August 30, 2022 Tourism Saudi introduces multi-entry visas for Qatar World Cup 2022 fans Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has introduced a new multi-entry visa for visitors holding the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Hayya card. The ‘Hayya’ card is required for all World Cup attendees and provides entry into Qatar and the stadiums. Holders of the card can apply for the new Saudi visa online and book […] August 28, 2022 Banking and Finance Saudi’s cashless revolution well underway as investments soar Saudi Arabia’s digital payments revolution is gathering pace with point-of-sale transactions surpassing ATM cash withdrawals for the first time in the second quarter of 2022. The kingdom’s transformation into a cashless economy resulted in point-of-sale (PoS) transactions rising 16.6 percent annually in Q2 to $36.7 billion, described by the Saudi Ministry of Investment (MISA) as […] August 8, 2022 Analysis People & Lifestyle Biden’s first win: Saudi Arabia opens airspace to Israel Saudi Arabia has announced it will open its airspace to all air carriers, including Israeli flights – marking a stepchange for the kingdom which has a historical stance of not officially recognising Israel. The Saudi General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) issued a statement on Thursday saying that the country’s airspace was now open to all […] July 15, 2022 In association with Exclusive World Cup 2022 A-listers to splash cash on extravagant World Cup parties A star-studded line-up is set to splash out on after-parties at the Qatar World Cup, according to the region’s event planners. F1 champion Lewis Hamiliton, supermodel Bella Hadid and singers Usher, The Weeknd and French Montana are among the celebrities flying out for the winter tournament, said Bally Singh, founder of the Rich List Group. […] July 2, 2022 Exclusive World Cup 2022 Most lavish World Cup package costs $1.6m – hotel not included UAE residents have bought 7,500 hospitality packages for the Qatar World Cup, with the most expensive option costing an eyewatering $1.6 million. Football fans wanting to attend Qatar 2022 matches have two routes: FIFA's ticket lottery, where prices start at 40 riyals ($10.99) for Qatar residents or 250 riyals for international supporters, or one of the official hospitality packages, which begin at $950. June 21, 2022 Posts navigation Previous 1 … 10 11 12 Next
EXCLUSIVE Tourism VisitBritain to target GCC as tourist spending recovers Spending by GCC-based tourists visiting the UK climbed above pre-pandemic levels for the first time in 2022, according to latest data from VisitBritain, the national tourism agency. While visitor numbers from the Gulf were still 18 percent below 2019 figures at 202,000 during the second quarter, the amount they spent rose by 7 percent to […] December 29, 2022
Analysis Aviation Private jet demand to Doha soars despite World Cup price hikes Private jet operators have reported a massive surge in demand for flights to Doha during the World Cup, despite the rise in operating costs caused by the high number of aircraft flying in and out of the Qatari capital. “So far, the World Cup has been an incredibly exciting — albeit intensely busy time — […] December 14, 2022
Saudi Arabia signs deals worth $171m to expand Jeddah port Saudi Ports Authority (Mawani) has signed two contracts worth 642 million riyals ($171 million) with major contractors to deepen berths and build new ones at Jeddah Islamic Port, according to the state-owned Saudi Press Agency. The contract with Modern Building Leaders, in association with Huta Hegerfeld Saudia, will deepen harbour approach channels, turning basins, waterways […] October 10, 2022
Exclusive Aviation Private jets face backlog during World Cup Qatar authorities are putting restrictions in place to manage the expected surge in demand for landing slots from private jets flying to Doha for the World Cup. Operators have warned that wealthy football fans will need to be flexible with their plans, especially around the later stages of the tournament which takes place from November […] September 19, 2022
Tourism Dubai hotel rates surge by up to 75% during World Cup Dubai Marathon has been forced to move its upcoming race in December 2022 to February 2023, as organisers said the massive demand by football fans to base themselves in the emirate has resulted in a lack of hotel rooms, with average daily rates during the tournament rising by as much as 75 percent. “Thousands of […] August 30, 2022
Tourism Saudi introduces multi-entry visas for Qatar World Cup 2022 fans Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has introduced a new multi-entry visa for visitors holding the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Hayya card. The ‘Hayya’ card is required for all World Cup attendees and provides entry into Qatar and the stadiums. Holders of the card can apply for the new Saudi visa online and book […] August 28, 2022
Banking and Finance Saudi’s cashless revolution well underway as investments soar Saudi Arabia’s digital payments revolution is gathering pace with point-of-sale transactions surpassing ATM cash withdrawals for the first time in the second quarter of 2022. The kingdom’s transformation into a cashless economy resulted in point-of-sale (PoS) transactions rising 16.6 percent annually in Q2 to $36.7 billion, described by the Saudi Ministry of Investment (MISA) as […] August 8, 2022
Analysis People & Lifestyle Biden’s first win: Saudi Arabia opens airspace to Israel Saudi Arabia has announced it will open its airspace to all air carriers, including Israeli flights – marking a stepchange for the kingdom which has a historical stance of not officially recognising Israel. The Saudi General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) issued a statement on Thursday saying that the country’s airspace was now open to all […] July 15, 2022 In association with
Exclusive World Cup 2022 A-listers to splash cash on extravagant World Cup parties A star-studded line-up is set to splash out on after-parties at the Qatar World Cup, according to the region’s event planners. F1 champion Lewis Hamiliton, supermodel Bella Hadid and singers Usher, The Weeknd and French Montana are among the celebrities flying out for the winter tournament, said Bally Singh, founder of the Rich List Group. […] July 2, 2022
Exclusive World Cup 2022 Most lavish World Cup package costs $1.6m – hotel not included UAE residents have bought 7,500 hospitality packages for the Qatar World Cup, with the most expensive option costing an eyewatering $1.6 million. Football fans wanting to attend Qatar 2022 matches have two routes: FIFA's ticket lottery, where prices start at 40 riyals ($10.99) for Qatar residents or 250 riyals for international supporters, or one of the official hospitality packages, which begin at $950. June 21, 2022
