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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

UAE hotel revenue grew by a modest 3 percent to AED45 billion in 2024, suggesting hoteliers are absorbing increasing operational costs

UAE hotels absorb rising costs at expense of profit

Many UAE hoteliers are reluctant to raise prices to compensate for rising operational costs, even as intensifying global competition and geopolitical volatility tighten profit margins. According to data from CBRE Middle East, growth in UAE hotel revenue per available room (RevPAR) has slowed over the last two years, from 6 percent in 2023 to 3 […]

People stroll past multiple casinos on the famous boardwalk in Atlantic City, New Jersey. The US state and the UAE are focusing on 'cybersecurity and consumer protections'

New Jersey and UAE gaming regulators sign agreement

The US state of New Jersey, home to Atlantic City’s casino resorts, signed a landmark agreement this week with the UAE’s gaming regulator. The agreement comes as MGM Resorts International, a major Las Vegas casino operator, held meetings about its upcoming projects in the emirates. The memorandum of understanding was signed in Abu Dhabi on […]

Hotel giant HWI will introduce multiple brands, including the renowned Steigenberger, to Saudi Arabia's growing tourism sector

H World International plans Saudi hotels development

H World International, a major hotel developer, will open multiple new properties in Saudi Arabia, including a branch of its 95-year-old Steigenberger brand. “We are about to announce much more development in Saudi Arabia, specifically around Riyadh,” said Siegfried Nierhaus, the hotelier’s Dubai-based vice president and head of development for the Middle East, India and […]

Saudi Arabia is prioritising tourism investment across the whole kingdom to achieve its ambitious goal of 70 million overseas visitors by 2030

‘Tourism is the new oil’, says man trying to bring 150 million people to Saudi

Investment in tourism will remain a priority in Saudi Arabia despite falling oil prices and increased budgetary pressures, according to the kingdom’s top industry official. The underserved three-star and four-star hotel sector is a particular focus, Fahd Hamidaddin, CEO of the Saudi Tourism Authority, told AGBI.  “The darker it gets, the more reason we should […]

Amira Sajwani, managing director of sales and development of DAMAC Properties with Jason Gannon, president and COO of Chelsea Football Club

Dubai scores football-themed homes in Chelsea Residences

Chelsea fans finally have something to celebrate: Dubai’s first football-themed development will wear the blue of the famous west London club. As part of a new partnership between Chelsea FC and Damac Properties, the Dubai-based property developer will build a Chelsea-themed real estate project in the emirate. Chelsea Residences “will be built with Chelsea Football […]

Tourists visiting Ephesus in Turkey. Food and drink accounted for about one quarter of tourists' spending

Turkish tourism hits record highs in first quarter

Despite economic and political turmoil, foreign visitors flocked to Turkey in record numbers in the first quarter of the year.  Although the figures provided a welcome boost to revenue and expectations for growth through the rest of the year, some commentators have warned that future earnings may be weighed down by an overpriced local currency.  […]

Calo seeks to differentiate itself by using AI to offer customised meal subscriptions

Bahrain’s Calo acquires UK meal delivery brands

Calo, a Bahraini foodtech startup, is making its first foray outside of the Gulf by expanding into the UK. The company, which was founded in Bahrain but now has its headquarters in Saudi Arabia, is acquiring UK-based meal delivery brands Fresh Fitness Food and Detox Kitchen in the expansion. Caspar Rose, the former head of […]

AlUla, Saudi Arabia. The destination, rich in history and nature, saw 286,000 visitors in 2024 and with a renewed international focus is aiming for 1.2 million annual visitors by 2030

AlUla expects record tourism in 2026 after marketing push

AlUla, one of Saudi Arabia’s flagship tourism projects, is expecting a record year for visits in 2026, following an international marketing campaign targeting overseas travellers who typically stay longer and generate more yield. The oasis resort in Medina province received 286,000 visitors last year, up by a fifth on 2023, according to the Royal Commission […]

Red Sea Global expansion – the Six Senses Southern Dunes was the first hotel at The Red Sea resort to open

PIF’s Red Sea Global plans Saudi and overseas expansion

Red Sea Global is expanding beyond its west coast base to develop hotels and other projects in Saudi Arabia and overseas, a company executive has said. The company will probably announce a new project in a Saudi city later this year, head of hospitality Sébastien Carre told AGBI on the sidelines of Arabian Travel Market […]

KFC is one of the many fast food brands operated by Americana Restaurants in the Middle East

Americana reports growth in revenue and profit

Americana Restaurants reported a higher net income for the first quarter of 2025 compared with this time last year, as a consumer boycott targeted at the company’s brands related to the Gaza conflict eased. Net profit in the three months to March grew 16.5 percent in the quarter to $32.6 million, driven by higher revenue […]

Travellers from Western Europe made up the bulk of international visitors to Dubai

International visitors to Dubai rise 3%

Dubai welcomed 3 percent more international visitors in the first quarter of this year compared with the same period last year, with the largest single group coming from Western Europe. More than 5.3 million people visited the emirate – the most populous of the seven-member UAE federation – with those from Western Europe accounting for […]

Colonnade Street, Side, Antalya, Turkey. While domestic tourism surged in Turkey, rising costs and shorter stays reflect the impact of inflation on holidaymakers' spending power

Turkey’s domestic tourism sector heats up

Turkey’s domestic tourism sector surged in 2024, with more Turks holidaying at home than ever before, shrugging off high inflation and economic uncertainty by taking to the road in record numbers. Between them, Turkey’s 85 million citizens took 67 million domestic trips last year, an increase of 9 percent on 2023, according to state statistics […]

A supermarket owner in Cairo stocks a fridge. Egypt and Turkey helped power 11 percent revenue growth in PepsiCo’s international beverages business

Gains in Egypt and Turkey help PepsiCo profit

Revenue growth at PepsiCo Inc.’s Europe, Middle East and Africa (Emea) division outpaced all its other regional divisions in the first quarter, lifted by stronger demand in Egypt and Turkey.  However, the US snacks and drinks company trimmed its full-year profit outlook and warned of rising global trade costs. The maker of Pepsi, Gatorade and […]

Government ecommerce reforms in Turkey have decreased the duty free amount on foreign purchases to just €27

New ecommerce rules spur cost-benefit debate in Turkey

Turkish officials have denied media reports that they were about to block access to the popular Chinese online shopping platform Temu after it allegedly failed to comply with new regulations governing ecommerce. This has highlighted the debate in Turkey around the cost and benefit for the multi-billion dollar industry following this month’s introduction of the […]

FORMULA 1 STC SAUDI ARABIAN GRAND PRIX 2023

Saudi ticketing app webook plans European expansion

Riyadh-based Webook, which describes itself as Saudi Arabia’s largest booking platform for events and experiences, says it is expanding beyond the Middle East into Europe to tap a growing market for ticketing. Set up in 2016 under the name Hala Yalla, Webook initially focussed as a service to book football pitches, before expanding to include […]

A shop in the Gold Souk in Deira, Dubai. Sellers are suffering as the price of gold continues to soar

Gold’s record run brings little joy for Dubai jewellers

In the bustling Gold Souk in Dubai, dubbed the “City of Gold”, 22-karat gold jewellery is a traditional favourite for weddings, religious celebrations, and as a family investment. Yet with bullion prices hitting record highs above $3,400 an ounce, there are signs of change, as buyers opt for diamonds and lighter gold jewellery instead. While […]

The Jeddah factory, a joint venture between HPDC and BRF, will produce 40,000 tonnes of processed food a year

PIF food unit builds Jeddah factory with Brazilian partner

Halal Products Development Company, a wholly owned subsidiary of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, and Brazilian food processor BRF have started constructing a processed-food factory in Jeddah. The factory is being developed by the joint venture BRF Arabia Holding Company at a cost of $160 million, BRF said in a statement. Established in 2023, the venture […]

The influencer academy course set up by Dubai’s tourism authority and content agency Beautiful Destinations will last 3 months

Dubai doubles down on social media with ‘influencer academy’

Sunsets, skyscrapers, shopping sprees. Type #Dubai into any social media platform and you will find thousands of them. Whether they’re promotional films or holiday snaps, the quality and reach of these images can vary widely. Now Dubai’s tourism authority is setting up an “influencer academy” to teach aspiring digital creators how to make the most […]

People walk in front of the Pepsi Cola sign at Gantry Plaza State Park in Long Island City, Queens, New York City.

PepsiCo to open Saudi research centre for Arab tastes

PepsiCo has said it plans to open a research and development facility in Saudi Arabia focused on developing new products for Middle Eastern consumers. At a cost of SAR30 million ($8 million), the centre will be the largest of its kind in the Gulf region and located in Riyadh, the US company said as it […]