Reset & rejuvenate with a Saudi retreat and give yourself the gift of wellness

Skift reported recently that Saudi’s Vision 2030 is too expensive for tourists: If it eventually wants 70 million international visitors, it’s going to need more supply of hotels that don’t cost thousands of dollars a day. 

After a remarkable development in travel & tourism, Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries are committed to build consistency across the region while remaining unique and authentic, as shown by Connecting Travel Insight Report 2024, powered by Mabrian travel intelligence.

Jeddah Historic District Program (JHD), under the patronage of the Saudi Ministry of Culture, and Cruise Saudi, a fully-owned Public Investment Fund company, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). This agreement aligns with the ambitious development goals of Saudi Vision 2030. This partnership is strategically designed to accommodate the increasing number of international cruise visitors who enjoy exploring the authentic sites of the historic district. Central to the goals of both Jeddah Historic District Program and Cruise Saudi is preserving the area’s distinctive cultural identity and historical landmarks while stimulating local economic growth. This collaboration encourages local entrepreneurship and investment, drawing on the private sector’s innovative capacities to enhance the visitor experience. This proactive involvement aims to boost job creation, foster small businesses, and promote sustainable economic activities that benefit the entire community.

Even by Saudi standards, the goals are ambitious: By 2030, the country wants 330 million passengers to pass through its airports annually, up from around 112 million last year.

Two online tour marketplaces say Dubai is far surpassing its pre-pandemic popularity. The city now ranks alongside Paris and Rome as a tourism hotspot.

“Perception” was one of the key topics discussed by Saudi Tourism Authority CEO Fahd Hamidaddin during a roundtable discussion at the Arabian Travel Market (ATM) conference in Dubai.

Saudi Arabia’s spare-no-expense cruise brand Aroya is set to launch this December, promising cigar lounges, jacuzzis, 28 dining options, 20 venues for entertainment, a retail area, and wellness and spa facilities.

As passenger numbers in the Middle East are predicted to reach 429 million this year, representing a 5.4% increase on 2019 figures, a panel of aviation experts convened at Arabian Travel Market (ATM) yesterday to discuss how the market is changing, outlining their predictions for the future of air travel. The session, ‘Looking Skyward for Innovation: How Technology is Disrupting Aviation’, was moderated by travel expert Mark Frary and included panellists from Cirium, IATA, AviationXLab, and Riyadh Air.

Experience Abu Dhabi secured the Best Stand Design Award (over 150m2) at Arabian Travel Market (ATM) 2024, which will run at Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) until Thursday 9 May. The exhibitor’s stand was praised by ATM’s independent panel of judges for its flowing design, innovative use of greenery and excellent visibility from the show floor.

The head of Saudi Arabian tourism wants Taylor Swift to bring her tour to the Middle East. Of course he does; Swift’s Eras tour has a proven track record of boosting economies wherever it goes.

One of the Middle East’s annual big-ticket industry events, the Arabian Travel Market (ATM), takes place this week in Dubai and opened this morning, while the UAE continues to attract visitors from around the world. Just this year, Dubai was ranked first in the Top 100 City Destinations Index 2023 by Euromonitor International. This comes against a backdrop of the world recovering from Covid-19, high inflation rates affecting travel, and turmoil in the region. Although the global travel market continues to recover, few can doubt that the dark clouds that have hovered over the Middle East since the Israel-Gaza war broke out in October of last year have taken a toll on tourism and business travel alike in countries like Egypt and Jordan.

ASFAR, the Saudi tourism investment company wholly owned by the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia, has announced today the signing of investment agreements between Baheej, a joint venture between ASFAR and the Tamimi-AWN Alliance, and the Royal Commission for Yanbu. These agreements are aimed at transforming the city of Yanbu into a premier tourist destination by introducing four innovative projects along the waterfront.