Skip to content Skip to Search
Skip navigation

Leisure & Hospitality

Leisure and hospitality news from the Middle East. All the important stories, exclusive interviews, plus authoritative opinion and analysis

Leisure & Hospitality overview

Leisure & Hospitality news

RAK Properties IPO

RAK Properties considering hospitality IPO

RAK Properties, Ras Al Khaimah’s largest publicly listed property developer, is assessing a separate stock market float for its rapidly growing hospitality business, its CEO Sameh Muhtadi told AGBI. The company, which trades on the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange, is expanding its hotel portfolio and says it has letters of intent from two major hotel […]

A Hundred cricket match between Oval Invincibles and London Spirit. Saudi Arabia may introduce a new team to the league

PIF could buy into English cricket’s The Hundred

Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund is reportedly considering buying a stake in the UK’s The Hundred cricket tournament. The potential move comes after confirmation that the sovereign wealth fund will next turn its attention to the sport.  PIF would acquire a new team to be established in Durham in England’s north-east, adding to the eight […]

Starbucks Middle East

Starbucks increases Middle East outlets despite Gaza boycott calls

Starbucks has expanded its presence in the Middle East over the past year, despite ongoing boycott calls due to the Gaza conflict.  The total number of Starbucks outlets in the region rose by approximately 7 percent, from 1,870 to 1,997, according to the company’s data. The largest expansion came in Saudi Arabia, adding 55 new […]

Gulf hospitality recruitment

Recruitment a sticking point for Gulf hospitality

The tourism industry is expected to support the creation of thousands of jobs in the UAE and wider GCC this year, yet hospitality firms might struggle to fill many of these vacancies. Heightened competition, the physical and emotional intensity of the work, and more flexible professional alternatives are among the factors luring prospective staff in […]

People, Person, Adult Jeddah Central Development Stadium will have a capacity of 45,000 and it is hoped will become the home of two football clubs after the World Cup

Saudi Arabia’s World Cup bid outlines 11 new stadiums

Saudi Arabia plans to build 11 new stadiums as part of its 2034 World Cup bid, including one inside its horizontal city The Line, but without any breakdown of the costs.  The Saudi bid – which is expected to win formal Fifa approval this year – centres on five cities: Riyadh, Jeddah, Khobar, Abha and […]

The fountains of the Bellagio in Las Vegas. The hotel brand is one of three being built by MGM in Dubai

MGM chief teases potential casino in Dubai

The chief executive of MGM Resorts International, a major operator of casinos, has hinted at the possibility of opening a branch in Dubai, buoyed by evolving gaming regulations in the UAE. William Joseph Hornbuckle was bullish on a recent announcement by the UAE authorities of a lottery licence, and said he viewed it as a […]

Weaker consumer spending has led retailers to cutting prices in attempt to win customers Woman shopping coffee window

Saudi Arabia’s GDP falls as revenue tightens

Saudi Arabia’s economy contracted in the second quarter of 2024 as non-oil activity slowed amid retail pricecutting. However, the end of oil output cuts next year could give the country’s coffers a much-needed boost.  The General Authority for Statistics said in its latest report this week that real GDP fell 0.4 percent compared to the […]

Outdoors, Aerial View, Landmark

Riyadh to get a new 45,000-seat stadium

Riyadh, the Saudi capital, is set to house another new world-class stadium as the kingdom bets on becoming a global sporting hub. The 45,000-seat stadium in south-west Riyadh will be developed by Roshn Group, a giga-project developer backed by the Public Investment Fund, the kingdom’s sovereign wealth fund. The stadium will be part of a […]

Shopping for gold jewellery in Doha, Qatar Video length: 04:26

AI is adding extra lustre to gold market

Gold isn’t just for jewellery and bullion bars – it is also an important material in the tech sector. Andrew Naylor, head of the Middle East region at the World Gold Council, explains how the precious metal’s increasing use in artificial intelligence chips is raising demand – and prices. Watch the video to find out […]

UAE lottery gaming

Lottery licence heralds UAE gaming industry growth

The issuance of the UAE’s first lottery licence and publication of a framework to regulate gaming looks set to kickstart the rapid development of the industry in the Gulf nation. The year-old federal General Commercial Gaming Regulatory Authority (GCGRA) said over the weekend it had awarded Abu Dhabi-based The Game LLC the rights to operate […]

Shop, Shopping Mall, Indoors

Americana scales back fast-food openings as profit drops again

Americana Restaurants International, the Mena franchise owner for KFC, Pizza Hut and Hardee’s, has scaled back its growth plans for this year after another drop in profits. The Saudi-UAE company reported a 41 percent slump in net profit to $52 million for the second quarter of the year, as Mena diners turn their backs on […]

Shelf, Box, Accessories

ADIA consortium in $5bn bid for Indian snack maker Haldiram’s

A consortium that includes Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA) is planning a Rs400 billion ($4.8 billion) bid to acquire a majority stake in Haldiram’s, an Indian snack maker, according to a media report. The ADIA deal, if finalised, will value Haldiram’s at INR700 to 780 billion ($8.4 to $9.3 billion), Moneycontrol.com, an Indian business portal, reported, quoting […]

Saudi Arabia formally bids to host Fifa World Cup 2034

Saudi Arabia has officially submitted its bid to host the Fifa World Cup 2034. The bid books will be published after the official deadline ends on July 31, the football governing body said in a statement. Saudi officials, including sports minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al Faisal and Saudi Arabian Football Federation president Yasser Al […]

Jordan Hotels profit drops amid regional conflict

Jordan Hotels and Tourism Company reported a 23 percent decline in net profit for the second quarter of 2024 as a result of revenue decline amid conflict in Gaza. The company’s profit stood at JD247,123 ($348,703) in the April to June period compared with JD320,035 a year ago, Reuters reported, citing an Arabic disclosure on […]

saudi arabia King Salman Stadium

King Salman Stadium in Riyadh to open in 2029

The King Salman Stadium in Riyadh – planned to be one of the world’s largest sports arenas – will be ready in the fourth quarter of 2029, as the kingdom continues its investments in the sports sector. The stadium will serve as the Saudi national team’s main headquarters, the state-owned Saudi Press Agency reported, quoting […]

Duba tourism

Dubai tourism flourishes as visitor numbers rise by 9%

Dubai attracted 9.3 million international visitors in the first half of 2024, a year-on-year rise of 9 percent. The emirate hosted just over 17 million international visitors last year, the UAE state-run Wam news agency reported, citing data from the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism. Helal Saeed Almarri, director-general of Dubai Department of Economy […]

The event industry in Dubai was worth over AED165 billion ($45 billion) in 2023 and is forecast to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 25 percent through to 2027

Corporate travel rising as Dubai plays perfect host

Dubai has won 175 deals so far this year that will boost the emirate’s corporate and business travel sector over the next four years. The events, representing an increase of almost a quarter year on year, include international conferences, congresses and meetings. They’re expected to bring more than 92,000 delegates to the city, according to […]