SAUDI ARABIA UNVEILS TOP TOURISM LEADERS AND GLOBAL MINISTERS

More than 600 young people from 100 countries have been brought together by the Sustainable Tourism Global Center (STGC) to engage in solutions for reaching net zero in travel and tourism, as part of UFCCC MENA Climate Week in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

The world’s first Global Solutions Hub, to help drive Sustainable Tourism, is launched at MENA Climate Week in Saudi Arabia.

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.

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.

When moving, Stephan Kandler keeps close to deadlines. He will arrive at a station just minutes before a train departs; he parks outside a grocery store just moments before it closes. He thrives on proximity, on hovering close to edges.

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.”

More than 500 officials, tourism leaders and experts from 120 countries attended a gala event in Diriyah in the Saudi capital this week to mark World Tourism Day. Among the guests at the At-Turaif UNESCO World Heritage Site were 50 tourism ministers from around the world, who had been in the Kingdom for a series of conferences, UN World Tourism Organization initiatives and private sector sessions hosted by Ahmed Al-Khateeb, Saudi minister of tourism.

It’s 2023, and most wineries have fairly decent food—some local cheeses, cured meats and often a proper three-course lunch. But some of them are going far and above, installing Michelin-star (or Michelin-caliber) chefs on the premises and letting them run free with their technique and creativity. And of course, the wine pairings are always spot-on. Here, in alphabetical order, are ten of the most interesting right now.