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Tourism

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

Tourism overview

Tourism news

A construction site in Abu Dhabi. The Adpic programme aims to transform the emirate's tourism sector as well as housing and transport

$54bn private investment sought for Abu Dhabi infrastructure

Abu Dhabi is overseeing more than 600 infrastructure projects valued at more than AED200 billion ($54 billion), representing an opportunity for the private sector to collaborate on a pipeline of projects that are integral to the emirate’s Economic Vision 2030 plan, a senior official said. The projects, being led by the Abu Dhabi Projects and […]

Brands to be brewed in Dubai will include Heineken, Kingfisher and Moretti

Heineken joint venture to build brewery in Dubai

Dubai is to follow Abu Dhabi and Ras Al Khaimah in opening its own brewery.  Sirocco, a joint venture between the Dutch drinks company Heineken NV and the Emirates Group-owned Maritime and Mercantile International (MMI), will start construction on a new brewery, having secured all the necessary permits from the relevant local authorities, the company […]

The Riyadh Western Metro Station, one of four main commuter hubs on the network

Riyadh Metro aims to break Saudi capital’s car gridlock

The first phase of Saudi Arabia’s $22.5 billion Riyadh Metro is opening on December 1, marking a significant step toward transforming public transportation in a city known for its heavy car culture and gridlocked streets. The project, billed as the world’s longest driverless transit system, is a centerpiece of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 plan, which […]

The UAE's construction sector remains a key economic driver, underpinned by continued government investment in major infrastructure projects

UAE’s non-oil economy to grow nearly 5% in 2024

The UAE’s non-oil economy is projected to grow by 4.7 percent in 2024, thanks to economic diversification and fiscal surpluses that help overcome global challenges, a senior executive of UBS Global Wealth Management has said. The non-oil sector is heading towards sustainable growth, supported by a booming tourism and real estate sectors, increased government spending […]

An impression of Wynn Al Marjan Island resort in Ras Al Khaimah, which is slated to open in early 2027

Ras Al Khaimah’s economy to expand until 2027

Ras Al Khaimah’s (RAK) economy is projected to expand by an average 4.2 percent annually until 2027, driven by strong tourism, real estate, manufacturing, and mining performances, S&P Global said. “We forecast GDP per capita levels to strengthen to about $32,800 by 2027, compared with an estimated $30,000 in 2024,” the rating agency said. This […]

Expo City is at the heart of Dubai’s ambitions to double annual events from 300 to 600 by 2033

Major trade shows to relocate to Expo City Dubai

Dubai is to relocate its major trade shows next year from the World Trade Centre to the sprawling Expo City, 20 miles away. The move is a significant step in transforming the Expo City site into a centre for big events, businesses and sustainable living, a senior official has confirmed. “As of next year, all […]

The Hilton Garden Inn Dubai at Mall Avenue. A quarter of the group's developments in the Middle East is aimed at the mid market

Hilton says Middle East expansion will add 35,000 jobs

Hotel group Hilton’s expansion plans in the Middle East will create 35,000 jobs, its regional head has said.   The US company will at least double its size in the region with 130 new properties, its Middle East and Africa president, Guy Hutchinson, said.  “We’re seeing this part of the world emerge as a thought and […]

An impression of the Space Perspective balloon capsule in flight

Space Perspective favours Dubai for balloon launches

US company Space Perspective says it is in talks with Gulf countries about hosting rights to launch its high-altitude balloon flights.  The company will operate flights carrying a luxury capsule into the stratosphere to a height of around 30km. Taber MacCallum, founder and chief technology officer, said at a tourism conference in Dubai that it […]

Egypt is hoping to increase annual tourist numbers from last year’s record of 15 million to 25 million by 2030

Abu Dhabi’s Adtic invests with Accor in Egyptian hotel

The Abu Dhabi Tourism Investment Company (Adtic) has signed an agreement with the French hospitality company Accor to open a Sofitel hotel near the Giza Necropolis outside Cairo. Adtic, which is 84 percent owned by the Abu Dhabi Development Fund and 10 percent by the Abu Dhabi National Hotels Company, has allocated $100 million for […]

Muslim Pilgrims at The Kaaba in The Haram Mosque of Mecca , Saudi Arabia, In the morning performing umrah

Saudi travel firm targets Chinese ahead of IPO

Saudi Arabia is hoping to attract 5 million Chinese tourists by 2030 as part of a push that is also targeting Russia, Germany, Italy and the UK, leading tour operator Almosafer said on Wednesday, flagging a likely IPO within two years.  “China is the top tourist source market and you really need to have a […]

Passengers collect their luggage at terminal 1 in Dubai International airport. DXB expects to handle 91.9m passengers this year

Dubai airport reports record passenger numbers

Dubai International airport (DXB) has reported record passenger traffic and visitor numbers for 2024.  Paul Griffiths, Dubai Airports CEO, said that traffic is expected to grow 5.7 percent in 2024 compared to last year, with more tourists stopping off than ever before.  Traffic at DXB is expected to reach 91.9 million passengers this year, up […]

Traffic in Dubai. Car-rental companies in the UAE and Saudi Arabia operate around 200,000 and 267,500 vehicles, respectively

Gulf car rentals look forward to constant growth

Tourism, surging populations and demand for flexible transportation options are likely to spur a strong rise in demand for car rental in the Gulf region, industry experts have said.  The car rental markets in the UAE and Saudi Arabia, in particular, are growing.  In 2023 the industry in Saudi Arabia was valued at $2.5 billion, […]

Salvator Mundi Salman park

Salvator Mundi destined for Riyadh giga-park

The $450 million Leonardo Da Vinci painting Salvator Mundi is destined for a museum of art inside the King Salman Park giga-project in Riyadh in time for hosting the World Expo in 2030, two separate sources have said.   The artwork is a big part of Saudi Arabia’s plans to rebrand itself globally as a socially […]

Algeria tourism

Algeria must forge its own identity to hit tourism targets

If Algeria’s tourism industry is to become the vital engine of the country’s economy its tourism minister hopes, it must find a way to differentiate itself from its neighbours, experts have told AGBI. The Algerian government aims to welcome more than 12 million foreign visitors by the end of the decade, as part of its national tourism […]

The opening of the new Terminal A at Abu Dhabi’s Zayed International Airport last November has allowed Etihad to expand its flight options

Etihad profit soars on passenger and cargo volumes

Etihad Airways has reported a 66 percent increase in nine-month profit built on higher passenger and cargo revenue.  The Abu Dhabi carrier said profit after tax for the period reached $381 million (AED1.4 billion), up from $222 million a year earlier.  Total revenue was up 21 percent to $5 billion, which the airline said was […]

Turkey tourism beach

More tourists in Turkey, but they spend less and leave quicker

Turkey is on track to break records for tourist arrivals this year, but it may fall short of revenue targets, as visitor numbers are up but spending is flatlining and average holiday stays are getting shorter.  Just over 23.2 million overseas visitors made Turkey their destination in the third quarter of the year, the statistics […]

Dubai Taxi says it remains optimistic about future growth across all its business segments

Dubai Taxi revenue up but profit slides

Revenue at Dubai Taxi Company, a subsidiary of the emirate’s transport regulator, rose 13 percent year on year to AED1.6 billion ($436 million) in the first nine months of 2024. The company said the result was due to a positive macroeconomic environment, a rise in tourism and population growth. The taxi segment was the primary […]

Passengers in Terminal 3 at Dubai Airport. The UAE and Saudi Arabia reported respective air traffic growth of 39 percent and 30 percent

Gulf air traffic rebounds but fares still high

Air traffic in the Middle East and North Africa region has rebounded beyond pre-pandemic levels, with Saudi Arabia and the UAE marking the highest gains in volume. Traffic up to the second quarter of 2024 has also surpassed levels seen before 2020, according to a study by Airports Council International (ACI).  Bahrain (+24 percent), Qatar […]

RAK’s masterplan for tourism is expected to transform the landscape of the emirate, increasing the residential capacity from about 400,000 to 650,000 within five years RAK construction

Huge demand for workers’ accommodation in RAK

Ras Al Khaimah (RAK) is adding 40,000 rooms for blue-collar worker accommodation in the next five years, fuelled by the multi-billion dollar Wynn Resorts casino development and thriving construction sector. More than 10,000 rooms have been “fast-tracked” in the last nine months alone, according to Ramy Jallad, group CEO of Ras Al Khaimah Economic Zone […]