Saudi Arabia, UAE and Egypt lead $1.9tn hospitality and residential push

Costa Navarino, a luxury resort destination in Greece’s Messinia region, may not have the cultural cachet of Mykonos or Santorini, but that could soon change with the opening on Mandarin Oriental’s first Greek property. Mandarin Oriental Costa Navarino features 99 suites and villas with views of the Ionian Sea. The hotel also features five restaurants, a spa and an 82-foot swimming pool. Should you actually want to leave the property, it’s a short drive to the 18-hole Bay Course, which also has views of the coast.

The proper way to arrive at Porto Zante Villas & Spa on the Greek island of Zakynthos is by yacht. Not just because that’s probably the best way to get to any island, or the fact that this resort in the green, hilly Ionian chain in the country’s western stretch recently installed landing piers for this purpose. Skipping the road in from the airport allows you to also skip the sight of the pubs clustered around Zakynthos town that appeal to the young British vacationers who have used this island as a party island for decades. Over on the island’s east coast in a secluded setting, Porte Zante lives in a totally different world: intimate, cossetting and very, very private.

If you haven’t heard of Alula, don’t sweat it — the fact that it’s relatively unknown among Western travelers is just proof that it’s still mostly free from over-tourism.

While everyone is busy looking at Saudi Arabia’s flashy plans for building NEOM, the city of the future, its revolution in the realm of public transportion has gone under the radar entirely. In 2018, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia inaugurated its first high-speed railway, with trains traveling between the two holy cities of Medina and Mecca at 186 miles per hour. The Haramain High-Speed Railway is now the third train line in the country, and if government announcements come to fruition, 4,971 more miles of railway will soon crisscross the country, allowing travelers to easily see its best and biggest attractions, whether that’s the largest mirrored building in the world, or a UNESCO World Heritage site that looks an awful lot like Petra.

Air France turns 90 on October 7 this year, and the airline is celebrating with fashion exhibits, celebrations of French culture, vintage goods, and flight promotions.

Saudi Arabia wants to write and uphold official “7-star standards” at its upcoming ultra-luxury Sindalah Island. The idea of ‘7-star’ anything dates back to the opening of Dubai’s Burj Al Arab hotel, a distinction that operator Jumeirah has never liked using, nor has the emirate officiated.

“We’re growing a small business and learning as we go,” said Claire Bowen as she arranged bushels of sweet and charmingly imperfect organic apples on a late-September afternoon. “We hope to cultivate connections between local farms and local tables.”

It was two nights before Qatar’s World Cup, and all across its stadiums, staffers were frantically removing beer stands – the country had reversed its decision to serve alcohol in stadiums.

Good morning from Skift. It’s Thursday, October 5. Here’s what you need to know about the business of travel today.

Saudi Arabia will put in its bid to host the 2034 FIFA World Cup. To win it, the kingdom must meet new hosting requirements, including a stellar track record in human rights and a commitment to sustainability.

Saudi Arabia has become a “must-see destination”, Zurab Pololikashvili, secretary-general of the United Nations World Tourism Organisation, said in Riyadh during the opening ceremony of World Tourism Day this weekend. “This is a country that always looks forward, and in big ways,” he continued. “Saudi Arabia is now the second-biggest place for foreign direct investment projects in all the Middle East and Africa. I’m proud to say we count on the support of Saudi Arabia.”

In a significant milestone, the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) and the Ministry of Tourism of Saudi Arabia have announced the extension of their partnership through the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).