Will Saudi Arabia Host The First Alcohol-Free World Cup?

This as-told-to story is based on a conversation with Kylee Nelson, a 34-year-old travel nurse who's been to over 40 countries and runs the blog Passports and Preemies. She shares what she experienced while living in the Middle East. It's been edited for length and clarity. 

The UAE’s minister of economy has said the country’s tourism advisory board is working on new packages that promote travel in all seven emirates. For years, tourism in the UAE has been centered in Dubai, home to Emirates Airline, the world’s biggest mall and a string of ultra-luxury hotels.

Saudi Arabia announced Thuwal Private Retreat, an ultra-luxurious and likely ultra-secretive private island along its Red Sea coast. Promised as a place of “indulgence” the island opens next year, available for total buy-outs only.

The Public Investment Fund (PIF) of Saudi Arabia has formed another development company, Ardara, solely focused on the upcoming AlWadi destination. Launched by Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, who serves as PIF’s chairman, Ardara adds to the crown prince’s portfolio of government-owned construction companies.

Saudi Arabia’s futuristic NEOM super-city has announced another region. It is called Leyja, pitched as the $500 billion development’s sustainable and eco-tourism hub in the mountains. Leyja has no opening date or firm details on facilities, what we do know, so far, is that it will include three hotels.

After a six-month streak as Dubai’s second-largest tourism market, inbound travel from Russia is now slowing down. Since the start of the Russia-Ukraine war, Russians have been coming in droves to havens such as Dubai or the Maldives. A year on, many of those tourists have become residents in the emirate.

The CEO of MGM Resorts has shared his expectation that the UAE could greenlight up to four casinos, including one in his own development: The MGM in Dubai. Bill Hornbuckle said at the Global Gaming Conference in Las Vegas this week that MGM is building a “podium and pedestal” that “could house a casino,” on the island in Dubai.

Offering a new option in luxury air travel, business-class-only airline Beond is ready to take off this fall.

Multinational investment bank UBS has told its staff not to go on any work-related trips to the Middle East. The company has also hit the brakes on an event it was supposed to host in Qatar later this month, according to an internal memo that was seen by Bloomberg and confirmed by a UBS spokesman.

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.