Tag Archives: KSA

Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International Middle East (HSMAI), announces the inaugural launch of a new chapter in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). HSMAI Middle East is renowned for being the platform that provides practical tools, insights, and cutting-edge expertise to enable knowledge sharing and enhance professional development in the hospitality industry. It is a not for profit association that creates and curates content from thought leaders in hospitality sales, marketing and revenue optimisation, including articles, white papers, case studies, research, best practices, and more from around the globe.  “With a strong focus on education, it was a natural step to launch our next chapter in KSA,” says Mona Faraj, Managing Director of HSMAI Middle East. “We see potential to educate hotel sales, marketing and revenue management disciplines in the country, and we welcome members to take advantage of our resources and support.” The KSA chapter, formed by industry leaders, makes up the volunteer steering committee, led by Moustafa Manoon, Regional Director of Revenue Management – Middle East & Africa, Accor.  The committee members consist of these senior leaders from the KSA hospitality industry:  Ahmad Shaban, Commercial Director – KSA and Bahrain IHG; Mostafa El Anany, Regional Director of Sales – MEA Accor;  Sherif Omar, Director, Global Distribution -Shangri-La Hotels; Mohamed El Naggar, Revenue Performance Director KSA & Bahrain – IHG;  Saeed Al Aseeri, Acting General Manager BurjRafal Riyadh;  Ahmed Rasmy, Regional Director of Revenue KSA – Levant Hilton; and Mohamed Kamel, Corporate Revenue Manager – DUR Hospitality. Moustafa Manoon, Regional Director of Revenue Management – Middle East & Africa, Accor, says, “I strongly believe that HSMAI will bring great value to the hospitality industry of the country through its accumulated …

Tourism ministers and diplomatic representatives from 20 Arab League nations gathered at the historic Al Ahsa, 2019 Arab City of Tourism, where the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) hosted the 22nd Annual Arab Tourism Ministers Meeting. The ministers and representatives discussed issues ranging from delivering a more unified approach to promoting tourism in the Arab world through to building sustainable tourism industries in the region. His Excellency Ahmed Al Khateeb, President of the Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage, commented, “Tourism has a critical role to play across our region, not only in driving economic growth and in creating enriching career opportunities for local communities, but also in fostering new opportunities for cultural exchange and understanding. We look forward to exploring how the Arab League can work together to embrace the opportunities tourism presents for the benefit of our region.” During the meeting, ministers discussed the important role of tourism in driving economic growth and creating inclusive job opportunities as a significant employer of women and young people. Also on the agenda was the importance of regional collaboration to harness the growing global trend of multi-destination tourism. Ministers discussed opportunities for countries to work together to build strong regional tourism identities that celebrate rich and diverse tourism offerings and highlight intra-regional air, land and sea connectivity. His Excellency, Ahmed Al Khateeb shared the Kingdom’s ambitious strategy, which aims to attract travellers from around the world to meet its targets of 100 million trips by 2030 and plans to triple its current GDP level from 3 per cent to 10 per cent, creating one million new jobs.

According to the latest data released by various indicators Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has seen an exponential increase of tourists from UAE, USA and UK over 2018 which secured a continued growth in the hotel sector.  A report by Colliers reveal that international arrivals to Saudi Arabia are expected to increase 5.6 per cent per year from 17.7 million in 2018 to 23.3 million in 2023. According to the Savills report, recent tourism growth in Saudi Arabia has been driven by three key demand pools – leisure, pilgrim and corporate visitors. Paula de Keijzer, Senior Director Market Management, Africa, Indian Ocean, Middle East and Turkey, Expedia Group, said, “Major hotel groups are driving construction trends across the country as they aim to meet the demands of an ever-increasing number of domestic tourists and international visitors. When it comes to brand affinity and customer loyalty, it is essential to engage at each level of the customer journey. Tools, data and insights available via OTA extranet sites, like Expedia Partner Central (EPC), offer hoteliers the opportunity to inspire and convert travelers, set expectations, create personalised experiences, identify and address issues to better meet guest needs, improve guest experience and drive repeat bookings.” With travel bookings in the Kingdom considered the largest in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), the power of the international traveler growth to Saudi Arabia is expected to remain strong.  USA saw more than 110 per cent year on year growth in demand compared to the same period in 2017 with almost 45 per cent share of total room nights, UAE saw a whopping year on year growth of above 140 per cent than last year with almost …

InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) is continuing to expand its footprint across Saudi Arabia with the signing of voco Makkah in partnership with Maad International, among the Kingdom’s largest hospitality real estate development companies. The property will be the largest voco in the world, when operational in early 2020, and it will cater to the growing number of religious tourists in KSA. The 4,200-room hotel will take IHG’s portfolio in the country to over 19,500 rooms, solidifying IHG’s position as one of the largest hospitality players in Saudi Arabia. voco Makkah will occupy a premium location within the greater Maad Hospitality Towers Development, a mega mixed-used development that includes restaurants, lounge areas, event halls and separate male and female prayer halls. Situated in one of the most sought-after locations in the Holy City, the new hotel is within walking distance of Masjid Al Haram, and it will provide an ideal base for pilgrims along with an exceptional guest experience including over 20,000 sqm of dining and meeting facilities. Pascal Gauvin, Managing Director, India, Middle East & Africa, IHG, said, “We are honoured to enter into this agreement with Maad International, which is one of the most renowned hospitality development companies in the Kingdom. We look forward to catering to the influx of pilgrims at voco Makkah, which will provide a welcoming, comfortable and a reliably different experience during the Hajj and Umrah seasons.”

The fifth edition of 30-day ‘Shop Bahrain’ festival, aimed at celebrating the Kingdom’s hospitality and tourism offering, will be held from January 1 to February 2, 2019. Organised by the Bahrain Tourism and Exhibitions Authority (BTEA), in cooperation with partners from the public and private sector such as Tamkeen, VIVA, Gulf Air and AA Bin Hindi Group as strategic partners, the festival will include a unique line-up of events and entertainment, a shopping experience and numerous prizes. Prize partners include Gravity, Awal Gas, Hawar Beach Hotel, Kitchen for Life Company, the Ice Cream Shop and Rahim Holdings. This year’s edition will feature more than 73,000 prizes including 11 cars, electronics from AA Bin Hindi Group, 6,000 airline tickets at special rates from Gulf Air, thousands of instant prizes from VIVA and much more. “Shop Bahrain” is one of the Kingdom’s major initiatives that aim to contribute to the national economy through stimulating the tourism and retail sectors. The fourth edition successfully achieved over 145,000 transactions with the value of 19 million Bahraini Dinars and more than 137,150 local and regional shoppers registered on the online loyalty system. Commenting on the upcoming festival, Shaikh Khaled bin Humood Al Khalifa, Chief Executive, Bahrain Tourism and Exhibitions Authority, said, “We promise nothing but the best in the fifth-edition of “Shop Bahrain”, the largest nationwide event which aims to further drive the growth of the tourism and retail sector by attracting residents and tourists from our Gulf neighbours. Last edition hit a record with 19 million Bahraini Dinars of transaction value, and we are positive that this new edition will surpass all expectations. The 5th edition will serve a complete entertainment and fun experience for the …

Citymax Hotels from Landmark Group is set to open its first property in the Olaya district of Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia by mid 2019. Citymax Hotel Riyadh is the brand’s first hotel in KSA and the second to open outside the UAE. The opening comes at a time when mid-market hotels are on the rise and are poised to provide continued competition to the luxury hotel segment, by offering rooms with contemporary amenities at competitive rates. The three-star property will offer 65 rooms, as well as an all-day dining restaurant, Citycafé and a Lavazza coffee shop. Other facilities include meeting rooms and a fully-equipped gym and sauna. With long-stay guests identified as a key audience for the property, Citymax Riyadh will cater to both business and leisure travellers. The hotel is close to many local attractions, including Kingdom Towers, the Ministry of Interior and Al Faisaliah Mall. Aly Shariff, Chief Operating Officer, Citymax Hotels, said, “Mid-tier travel as a whole is on the rise, which puts us in a favourable position as the demand is certainly growing. This is especially true in Saudi Arabia, as the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 to drive economic diversification has had a major impact on the hospitality industry.”

At a time when the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s National Transformation Plan is well underway to reduce the nation’s public-sector dependence by 2030, a delegation from Sharjah visited two major cities of the Kingdom — Jeddah and Mecca recently to explore prospects for new partnerships in non-oil sectors, which will drive regional growth. The Sharjah FDI office (Invest in Sharjah) led the delegation, taking them on a ‘Sharjah Roadshow in The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’ through the two cities, and facilitated various networking meetings with leading Saudi businessmen, government representatives and industry experts. Through the two-day roadshow, Saudi Arabian players took a closer look at Sharjah’s rapidly diversifying and investor-friendly economy in major non-oil sectors including tourism, hospitality, real estate, trade, media, health, education, renewable energy and SMEs. They explored ways in which they can leverage these opportunities to promote and strengthen KSA’s private sector. The delegation comprised HE Aref Ali Al Tabour Al Nuaimi, Consul General of the UAE, Jeddah; HE Marwan bin Jassim Al Sarkal, Executive Chairman, Sharjah Investment and Development Authority (Shurooq); Sheikh Saud bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Deputy Head — Industrial Investment, Sharjah Economic Development Department and Mohammed Juma Al Musharrkh, CEO, Invest in Sharjah. The delegation also included Ibrahim Al Hashimi, Director — Government Relations, Sharjah Media City (Shams); Samer Bukamel, Vice President — Sales, ARADA and a number of officials and representatives from government and private bodies in Sharjah. Al Sarkal highlighted the strong bilateral relations the UAE and KSA share, especially in economic sectors. The UAE is the Kingdom’s biggest trade partner in the Gulf and greater Arab region. In 2017, the value of trade between the two countries was approximately $23 billion. He …

Dubai welcomed a record 8.10 million international overnight tourists during the first six months of 2018, representing a consistent increase on the same period last year. Figures released by Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (Dubai Tourism) have confirmed the continued success of the emirate’s tourism sector. A destination of choice for a number of global markets, Dubai is on track for projected growth into the second half of 2018. Top source markets continued to witness stable year-on-year performances in the first half of 2018, with India, KSA and the UK retaining their top three positions when compared to the same period last year. India again brought in the highest number of international guests, once again crossing the 1-million-mark over a six-month period, up by 3 per cent year-on-year. KSA and the UK retained their spots as the second and third largest feeder markets respectively, with the former rallying to a slight increase and remaining as the highest traffic driver from the GCC region. His Excellency Helal Saeed Almarri, Director General, Dubai Tourism, commented, “The first six months of 2018 have both generated and sustained a steady performance, supporting strong growth across our global feeder markets. Attracting 8.10 million visitors during the first half of 2018 stands us in good stead as we accelerate momentum towards our visionary aspiration of becoming the most visited city in the world.”