Exclusive Aviation Saudi flight bookings above pre-Covid levels International flight bookings to Saudi Arabia this summer are up 8 percent compared with the same time in 2019, indicating a post-pandemic recovery as the kingdom develops its tourism industry. As of May 23, flight bookings to Saudi Arabia in June, July and August were mainly driven by arrivals from Egypt. They were up 204 […] June 12, 2023
Construction Neom secures $5.6bn to expand workforce housing Saudi Arabia’s smart city developer Neom has secured more than SAR21 billion ($5.6 billion) in financing to start work on the first phase of residential housing for its workforce through a public-private partnership. The preferred bidders in the first phase include local contractors such as Alfanar Global Development, Almutlaq Real Estate Investment Company, Nesma Holding […] June 7, 2023
EXCLUSIVE Giga-projects Red Sea signs ‘pioneering’ carbon-negative concrete deal Red Sea Global and Bahamas startup Partanna have agreed to trial the use of carbon-negative concrete and other products at the kingdom’s Red Sea and Amaala giga-projects. The deal – the value of which is not disclosed – is the next stage of partnership between the companies. As revealed by AGBI, the two began exploring ways […] June 1, 2023
Manufacturing Saudi and UK to strengthen supply chain for minerals The UK and Saudi Arabia have signed a declaration of intent to develop supply chains for critical minerals. The agreement aims to support the global energy transition by increasing the supply of minerals used in electric vehicles, wind turbines and solar panels. Lithium, nickel and copper are among the metals covered by the declaration, which […] May 30, 2023
Analysis Neom Italy woos Saudi and other Gulf nations in trade drive Italy is courting Saudi Arabia to invest in a new fund, as the European country increasingly turns to the GCC to boost trade and investment volumes. Industry minister Adolfo Urso said Saudi was ready for further investments following a video call with the kingdom’s investment minister, Khalid Al Falih. Italy’s prime minister Giorgia Meloni plans […] May 25, 2023
Opinion Tourism Saudi Arabia’s tourism ambitions are making waves However the kingdom still has a lot of work to do May 24, 2023
EXCLUSIVE Lifestyle McLaren gears up for Middle East supercar spending spree McLaren is aiming to double supercar sales in the Middle East and Africa this year, largely driven by demand in the UAE and the arrival of its Artura hybrid model. The carmaker, which is based in Woking in the UK and has Bahrain’s sovereign wealth fund Mumtalakat as its largest shareholder, expects Dubai to be […] May 23, 2023
Energy Saudi approves 106 firms to help hit solar power target Saudi Arabia has approved a list of 106 companies qualified to install solar power systems. The decision aligns with the kingdom’s aim for 68.1 percent of its renewables capacity to be generated by solar power by 2030. The Saudi Electricity and Water Regulatory Authority has qualified a list of both contractors and consultants to design, […] May 19, 2023
Logistics New $2bn port to serve Saudi’s Neom More than SAR7.5 billion ($2 billion) has so far been invested in a new port at Saudi Arabia’s planned $500 billion smart city Neom, with plans to open a new terminal in 2025. Located on the Red Sea at the crossroads of global trading routes, the port will be a critical enabler for Neom and […] May 18, 2023
Opinion Tourism Saudi’s tourism ambitions rely on its youth Rising support from young Saudis will help drive the kingdom's eco-tourism aims May 17, 2023
Construction Al Habtoor forced to look overseas for contractor Billionaire Khalaf Al Habtoor had to look to China and India for a contractor for his latest Dubai development as experts say Saudi Arabia’s construction boom is impacting UAE projects. The founding chairman of the Al Habtoor Group (AHG) broke ground on the Habtoor Tower building earlier this month. AHG was previously involved in building […] May 16, 2023
Analysis Construction GCC construction dilemma as Saudi ‘sucking up’ skilled talent Saudi Arabia’s huge construction projects are luring workers out of neighbouring countries in the GCC and resulting in skills shortages, say experts and builders. Construction executives in the UAE and Oman in particular have voiced concerns about the overall resource demands of the region as Saudi Arabia’s market continued to show strong growth during the […] May 10, 2023
Video length: 02:49 Video Red Sea Global considering public listing Red Sea Global, the developer behind one of Saudi Arabia’s biggest gigaprojects, is studying the possibility of a public market offering, a senior executive said. “There will be some kind of public market event, whether it’s an initial public offering, whether it’s an establishment of a REIT [real estate investment trust], those are things that […] May 8, 2023
Video length: 02:49 Video Tourism Red Sea Global to spend $20bn by 2024 Red Sea Global will open its first hotels this year at the new Saudi Arabian tourist destinations, Red Sea Project and Amaala. The company, owned by Saudi sovereign wealth fund PIF, has spent $5 billion so far, according to its CEO, and will be spending another $15 billion by 2024. “Between Red Sea and Amaala, […] May 3, 2023
Business of Sport Red Sea Global builds on adventure sports tourism Red Sea Global (RSG), the Red Sea and Amaala mega-project developer, has launched a new company to boost sports tourism in Saudi Arabia. Akun, meaning “to be”, is a new adventure sports company that will operate and manage adventure and sports experiences at RSG destinations, including gravel- mountain-, fat-tyre and electric biking, trail running and […] May 2, 2023
Tourism Sustainability looms large at Arabian Travel Market 2023 Ahead of Dubai hosting one of the world’s largest travel conferences, key stakeholders in the emirate’s travel and hospitality industry have been keen to stress its sustainability credentials. Centred on the theme Working Towards Net Zero, this year’s Arabian Travel Market (ATM) on May 1 to May 4 is expected to draw in 34,000 attendees […] May 1, 2023
Analysis Tourism Gulf hospitality market banks on hotel-building surge Following the chaos of Covid and a surge in visitors for the Fifa World Cup and Expo 2022, the Gulf hospitality market might have been expected to return to a period of relative normality. But major tourism investment drives are afoot as GCC states seek to further diversify their economies. Almost 170,000 hotel rooms are […] April 30, 2023
Employment GCC consulting market to exceed $4 billion The GCC consulting market is expected to pass $4 billion in revenues this year, as the huge raft of giga-projects continue to transform the region. According to a report from UK research firm Source, the region’s consulting sector witnessed almost 16 percent growth in 2022 to reach $3.87 billion. Dane Albertelli, research analyst at Source, […] April 18, 2023
Real Estate Branded homes deepen share of Dubai’s property market Luxury branded residences made up almost two-thirds of off-plan apartment sales in Dubai last year, up from 30 percent in 2020, as appetite for this type of real estate grows. Sales of branded residential property – developed in partnership either with upscale hospitality groups such as the Ritz-Carlton and the Four Seasons, or luxury brands […] March 29, 2023
Real Estate Saudi families pause plans to buy property as villa prices rocket Rising home prices are forcing Saudi families to pause plans to get on the property ladder, according to real estate consultancy Knight Frank. The agency’s Saudi Report 2023, which is based on a survey of 1,014 Saudi-national households, found that only 40 percent of tenants were keen to buy a home this year, down from […] March 21, 2023
Logistics AD Ports to invest $200m to develop Safaga Port in Egypt Abu Dhabi’s AD Ports Group has signed a 30-year concession agreement worth $200 million to develop and operate Egypt’s Safaga port. In addition, two 15-year agreements, a memorandum of understanding (MoU) and three head of terms (HoT) for ports in Egypt’s Red Sea region and the Mediterranean Sea were signed. These agreements allow for expanded […] March 19, 2023
Energy Saudi teams up with Iceland to explore its geothermal potential Iceland is helping Saudi Arabia to explore its geothermal power resources as the kingdom accelerates its transition away from hydrocarbons. The Saudi Industrialisation and Energy Services Company (also known as Taqa) and Reykjavik Geothermal have signed a joint venture agreement to establish Taqa Geothermal Energy, headquartered in Riyadh. The deal comes as research shows that Saudi […] March 16, 2023
