Tag Archives: Saudi Arabia

The UAE successfully took part in a special meeting for GCC tourism undersecretaries held in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as part of the preparations for the 3rd GCC Tourism Ministers Meeting. The UAE delegation was headed by H.E. Mohammed Khamis Al Muhairi, Undersecretary, Ministry of Economy, and was joined by Saeed Al Samahi, Director General, FTAA; and Abdullah Al Hammadi, director at the Ministry of Economy. The delegates discussed key points from the minutes of its previous meeting — strongly focused on the development of the GCC region’s tourism industry, the further promotion of joint tourism work among GCC countries and the continuation of efforts to achieve common strategic goals and objectives in support of enhancing and improving national tourist attractions of respective member countries. H.E. Al Muhairi shared that tourism in the GCC region has witnessed a positive upward shift in the last few years and has resulted in the region’s tourism segment’s ability to contribute significantly to the economies of countries in the GCC, supplementing contributions that has helped in promoting economic diversity. The Undersecretary revealed that the recommendations produced in the recent meeting complements the move to further enhance joint cooperation among GCC countries.

Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts opened the doors to the Mövenpick Hotel City Star Jeddah, an European-style property in one of Saudi Arabia’s fastest-growing cities. The 228-room property, which marks the Swiss hospitality firm’s third hotel in Jeddah and 11th in the Kingdom, seamlessly blends a classical interior design with a contemporary façade and the latest modern comforts. Located near to both the Al Harthy Exhibition Centre and Mall of Arabia, and just a 15-minute drive from King Abdulaziz International Airport, the five-star hotel meets the diverse needs of business, leisure and MICE-related travellers. The deal to manage Mövenpick Hotel City Star Jeddah has been signed with AlTayyar Travel Group, a major player in the Middle East’s tourism industry and the only publicly-listed travel group in Saudi Arabia. There are three restaurants from which to choose, including all-day dining outlet Al Deira, the glamorous Al Moltaqa Café, and Al Zohoor Garden located next to the rooftop pool. To celebrate the opening of Mövenpick Hotel City Star Jeddah, the property is offering a 25% discount on reserved room prices, which start at SAR 700 per room, per night.

United States is the top source market for inbound travel in the UAE, followed by Saudi Arabia, Germany, India and France, according to a recent Q2 Report by Sojern. As per the report, except for India all other destinations which topped last year dropped due to various reasons. Outbound travel ranking of popular destinations for MEA travellers had changed in Q2 as well. This time Bahrain shows the highest growth percentage of 188 per cent in travel between June 30 and July 1, followed by Qatar with 164 per cent, Iraq 148 per cent, Kuwait 132 per cent and the UAE with 131 per cent in comparison to the week before. There has been a regional travel increase from 15 per cent to 25 per cent post Ramadan.

UAE-based Travel Connections Arabia (TCA) is expanding its footprints with a new office in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. It is the company’s second office in the GCC. TCA offers a sales and marketing extension to its world-class partner hotels, generating lucrative inbound travel business from the Middle East to properties and destinations located around the world. TCA’s collection of hospitality and tourism clients include some of the most exclusive hotels and resorts around the world, such as Iniala Beach House in Phuket, Thailand; The Mark in New York City, USA; The Lanesborough in London, England; Kulm Hotel St. Moritz in Switzerland; Villa Cora in Florence, Italy; and six exceptional Constance Hotels & Resorts, spread across the Indian Ocean’s top destinations: the Seychelles, the Maldives and Mauritius. Regional Sales Manager Hamada Hefnawy, with more than four years’ experience in the travel and tourism industry, has recently been appointed to cover all of Saudi Arabia.