Tourism Qiddiya to open Mercedes F1 experience centre An experience centre dedicated to high-performance Mercedes sports and F1 cars is being planned for Saudi Arabia’s Qiddiya sports and entertainment city, 20 miles west of Riyadh. The Mercedes-AMG World of Performance will cover 45,000 square metres across nine floors and include immersive attractions and exhibits focused on the car brand and its successful F1 […] February 20, 2025
Leisure & Hospitality Chinese tourists visiting Dubai up by a third The number of Chinese tourists visiting Dubai surged by nearly a third year on year in 2024, according to a news report. The emirate welcomed 824,000 Chinese tourists last year, an increase of 31 percent, the Chinese state-run Xinhua news agency reported, citing data from the Department of Economy and Tourism (DET). Dubai focused on […] February 18, 2025
Tourism Luxury travel is the engine of Saudi’s tourism market Saudi Arabia has focused on high-end tourism to create a name for itself, but will need to cater to the broader market in the longer term February 16, 2025
Tourism Tourists shun Turkish resort over earthquake fears Hotel bookings in the popular tourist resort of Bodrum on Turkey’s Aegean coast are down because of fears over earthquakes and tsunamis. The Greek island of Santorini has recently suffered a spate of quakes, which has prompted an exodus of tourists. The Bodrum Hoteliers Association said early season hotel reservations are down on this time […] February 14, 2025
Tourism Gulf’s first casino likely to spur hotel demand in RAK The Gulf’s first casino, being developed by Las Vegas-based Wynn Resorts in the UAE’s Ras Al Khaimah (RAK), is likely to spur investment in the emirate’s hotel sector through to 2030 to plug an expected shortfall in supply, say developers. Home to the UAE’s sixth biggest town by population, RAK needs to add about 24 […] February 14, 2025
Analysis Tourism Moroccan tourism startups build momentum ahead of World Cup Startup innovation and entrepreneurship are helping to fuel growth in Morocco’s tourism industry. The sector’s importance to the economy is increasing as the country prepares to co-host the Fifa World Cup in 2030. Morocco welcomed 17.4 million international tourists in 2024, a 20 percent increase on 2023, the latest data from the UN World Tourism […] February 13, 2025
Analysis Tourism Gulf water park market risks saturation as numbers grow With the Grand Hyatt Dubai due to open a new onsite water park this year, the UAE and wider Gulf region will add to an already vast collection of slides, lazy rivers, splash parks and other water-based leisure facilities. There being so many is perhaps not surprising given near year-round sunshine and heat in the […] February 12, 2025
Retail Bahrain duty free operator’s 2024 earnings rise 17% Bahrain Duty Free Shop Complex, the operator of duty free shopping at the country’s international airport, said net profit increased 17 percent to BD5 million in 2024 compared to BD4.3 million a year ago. Total income increased to BD3.4 million, rising 44 percent year on year. Profits from investments reached BD6.1 million last year, up […] February 11, 2025
Aviation Airbus expects Middle East aircraft fleet to double by 2043 Aircraft manufacturer Airbus expects fleet size in the Middle East to more than double in the 18-year period to 2043, the world’s third-fastest rate after China and the Asia-Pacific region. In its latest Global Market and Services Forecast, Airbus said Middle East demand, led by airlines in the Gulf, is estimated at 3,740 new aircraft […] February 11, 2025
Tourism Oman hotel revenue up 6% to $633m by end of 2024 The revenue of Oman’s 3 to 5-star hotels rose 6 percent year on year to OMR243.4 million ($633 million) by the end of December 2024, official data shows. Hotel guest numbers increased by 4 percent to 2 million by the end of December, the Oman Daily Observer reported citing data from the state-run National Centre […] February 10, 2025
Tourism Foreign tourists to Dubai up 9% Dubai received nearly 19 million international overnight visitors in 2024, a 9 percent increase from the previous year, according to the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism (DET). Partnerships, campaigns, and the hosting of events led to the rise in numbers to 18.7 million, state-run WAM news agency reported. The hotel sector consisted of 154,016 […] February 10, 2025
Leisure & Hospitality Wynn Resorts secures loan for RAK casino The Wynn Resorts joint venture behind the Gulf’s first casino in Ras Al Khaimah has secured a $2.4 billion loan to finance its development. The Wynn Al Marjan Island JV — which includes RAK Hospitality Holding and Las Vegas’ Wynn Resorts — secured the seven-year loan facility, denominated in a combination of AED and USD […] February 7, 2025
Tourism Gallipoli takes centre stage in Turkey’s battlefield tourism plans Visitors from as far afield as Canada and Australia wishing to pay respects at Gallipoli are proving to be another string to Turkey's tourism bow February 7, 2025
Tourism Qatar stopover initiative draws thousands more visitors An initiative encouraging passengers passing through Qatar to stay a night in the country has already sold more than 100,000 room nights this year. Launched in August 2021, the Discover Qatar Stopover Programme allows travellers with Qatar Airways and its codeshare partners to book overnight stays from anywhere between one and four nights at lower […] February 6, 2025
Tourism Morocco aims to double airport capacity by 2030 Morocco expects airport traffic to reach 60 million passengers by 2030 and 90 million by 2035, according to a government official. The growth from 32 million passengers in 2024 is expected as a result of the 2030 Fifa World Cup, which Morocco will co-host with Spain and Portugal, Morocco World News reported, quoting transport and […] February 6, 2025
Tourism Marriott to convert Cairo’s Mogamma building into hotel Marriott International has agreed with the Sovereign Fund of Egypt to convert Al Mogamma Al Tahrir – a Cairo landmark and former government office – into a hotel as Egypt sells off state assets to raise funds. The 500-room hotel development is led by a group that includes Chicago-based property manager Oxford Capital Group, US […] February 5, 2025
Real Estate Talks start with Kuwait hotel group on $125m Egypt project Kuwait’s Bukhamseen Holding is considering investing in a $125 million new hotel project in Egypt. Hassan El-Khatib, Egypt’s minister of investment and foreign trade, met Jawad Bukhamseen, chairman of the family-owned conglomerate, to discuss current and future projects in hospitality, finance and restaurant management. In a statement, the ministry of investment said Bukhamseen Holding was […] February 4, 2025
Aviation Kuwait’s Jazeera Airways cuts losses as revenues rise Low-cost carrier Jazeera Airways, which trades on the Kuwaiti stock exchange, narrowed its fourth-quarter 2024 loss on rising revenue and operational efficiency. Net loss narrowed by 42 percent year on year to KD4.2 million ($13.6 million) in the final quarter, as operating revenue climbed 15 percent year on year to KD45.1 million. Passenger numbers grew 9 […] February 4, 2025
Tourism Egypt’s tourism revenue tops $15bn in 2024 Egypt’s tourism revenues more than doubled to $15.3 billion in 2024 compared to $7.2 billion in 2014 amid a major overhaul of the industry. Inbound tourist numbers rose by 60 percent to 15.8 million last year from 9.9 million in 2014, local media outlets reported citing a report released by the cabinet’s media office. The […] February 4, 2025
Aviation Riyadh Air in talks to buy 50 more widebody aircraft Saudi Arabian airline Riyadh Air, backed by the Public Investment Fund (PIF), is in talks with US and European planemakers for 50 additional widebody aircraft, according to a news report. The airline is evaluating the Airbus 350-1000 and Boeing 777X models, Bloomberg reported, citing unnamed informed sources. The carrier is eager to secure delivery slots, […] February 4, 2025
Aviation DXB passenger traffic hit record high of 92m in 2024 Dubai International Airport (DXB), the world’s busiest international airport, received 92.3 million passengers in 2024, the highest annual traffic to date. The 6 percent year on year rise was driven by sustained growth throughout the year, capped by an exceptionally busy last quarter, Dubai Media Office said in a statement. December emerged as the busiest […] January 31, 2025
Tourism Growing number of Chinese celebrating new year in UAE The UAE has recorded an increase in the number of Chinese travellers making the journey for new year celebrations this year. Arrivals from China to the UAE have grown 9 percent year on year, a study by the travel insight specialist ForwardKeys has found. While exact details of the dates surveyed or total number of […] January 30, 2025
