This Summer Beat the Crowds, by Taking a Better Alternative, to Discover an Unexpected Saudi

Gloria Guevara Manzo, Saudi Arabia’s chief special advisor to the tourism minister, has announced she’s stepping down.

India is emerging as an important source market for tourism for Middle Eastern nations.

The city of Jeddah, Saudi’s coastal cosmopolitan hub and, historically, the home to worldwide arts and music, is a gathering spot for a variety of vibrant cultures.

Tourism in the Middle Eastern country of Oman is improving. The Gulf nation was hit hard by Covid and had long struggled to recoup its tourism sector. But government measures are helping.

Qatar Airways has been voted the world's best airline at Skytrax's 2024 World Airline Awards, the eighth time that the airline has won the honor in the 25-year history of the awards.

NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. -- Travel Leaders Network president Roger Block, who will step down from his executive role at the end of this year, is confident he is leaving TLN better than when he found it.

More than 1,000 people have died while making the annual Muslim Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca, according to an AFP tally on Thursday. Officials said the main cause of death is extreme heat in the region as temperatures surpass 120 degree Fahrenheit (125 degrees Celsius). Thousands more are being treated for heatstroke. 

Lifestyle hotels continue to be the must-have item in the hospitality industry.

Ennismore, the fast-growing lifestyle hospitality company that’s an Accor joint venture, said Thursday it had entered into a strategic partnership to run and market as part of its family of brands the experiential luxury hotel brand Our Habitas.

Saudi Tourism Authority made its debut at the prestigious Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, with an address by CEO Fahd Hamidaddin on the crucial role creativity plays in shaping the conversation around tourism, and the country more broadly. Driven by ambitious goals, Saudi is placing creativity and innovation at the centre of its push to diversify its economy and leverage opportunities on its path of transformation. Tourism is a visible showcase, using creativity to help spark conversation around the dramatic changes on the ground and shatter prejudice. In a 30-minute address attended by leading creatives from around the world, Fahd Hamidaddin, CEO of Saudi Tourism Authority stated: “Storytelling is something that Arabia has always cherished, and creativity is the beacon of our future, it’s the beauty of imagination meeting innovation.” Speaking of Saudi’s journey towards 2030, with its focus on creativity – the new energy source, he outlined Saudi’s aim: ”We are experiencing a transformation which takes Saudi from being oil dependent to becoming a fully diversified hyper-growth economy that sits at the centre of the world - economically, socially and creatively as well.” The keynote paid tribute to the Saudi creative forces re-shaping the narrative on a world stage. Pointing to art showcases, the burgeoning entertainment scene - with Saudi entries to both the Oscars and the Festival du Cinema at Cannes - a growing cadre of home-grown and international creatives working together to demonstrate the importance of creativity in furthering the country’s ambitions. Taking the audience on a journey through some key developments in Saudi’s arts and entertainment space, he expressed pride in Saudi’s innovation and creativity: “If you think you know Saudi, think again. Even Saudis don’t recognize it amid the changes and transformations happening every day.”

The World Travel & Tourism Council’s (WTTC) 2024 Economic Impact Research (EIR) has revealed a record-breaking year for Travel & Tourism in Saudi Arabia, with new records in GDP contribution, sector jobs and visitor spend. Saudi Arabia’s Travel & Tourism sector is now soaring past all previous records, testament to the country’s commitment to becoming a global tourism hot spot.

When my Travel story about Saudi Arabia was published online last week, some readers bristled.