Tag Archives: Saudi

Qatar Airways announces its expansion in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, with the launch of services of two new gateways: Al Ula, Tabuk and the reopening of Yanbu. Effective 29 October 2023, Qatar Airways will commence operations to AlUla, followed by Yanbu on 06 December 2023, and Tabuk on 14 December 2023. These new routes will offer passengers even more options to explore the rich cultural heritage and natural wonders of Saudi Arabia. These additions to the airline’s rapidly growing network mark a significant milestone in Qatar Airways’ commitment to connecting travellers across the globe. Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, His Excellency Mr. Akbar Al Baker, said: “We are thrilled to introduce AlUla, Yanbu, and Tabuk as our newest destinations in Saudi Arabia. These cities offer a wealth of cultural, historical, and natural experiences, and we are proud to connect travellers from around the world to these remarkable places.” Al Ula, known for its breath-taking landscapes and historical treasures, will be serviced with two weekly flights. Travelers can look forward to experiencing this UNESCO World Heritage Site’s wonders, including the ancient rock formations and archaeological marvels. Yanbu, a vibrant port city, will be connected with three weekly flights. With its beautiful beaches and diverse marine life, Yanbu is the perfect destination for those seeking sun, sea and adventure. Tabuk, nestled amidst stunning mountains and valleys, will see Qatar Airways operate three weekly flights. Travelers to Tabuk will have the opportunity to explore its natural beauty and rich cultural heritage. Qatar Airways now operates to nine cities in Saudi Arabia, operating more than 125 flights weekly. These cities include AlUla, Dammam, Gassim, Jeddah, Medina, Riyadh, Tabuk, Taif, and Yanbu, providing travellers …

MSC Cruises announced that in November it will open its first office in Saudi Arabia and also launch a brand-new itinerary from Jeddah as a further demonstration of its commitment to support the Kingdom’s plans for its tourism sector with Saudi Vision 2030. Details were unveiled in Riyadh by Pierfrancesco Vago, Executive Chairman of the Cruise Division of the MSC Group as he attended the United Nations World Tourism Organization’s (UNWTO’s) ‘World Tourism Day’ conference. The new office will be based in Jeddah and house the commercial, sales and marketing functions for both MSC Cruises and its sister company, Explora Journeys, a new luxury cruise brand that began operations in July this year.  MSC Cruises added that it will start its third season of Red Sea voyages from Jeddah in two months’ time with a new sailing itinerary for international and Saudi Arabia-based holidaymakers. The 294 metre long 16 deck MSC Orchestra can accommodate up to 2,550 passengers and will operate from Jeddah for six months and offer 20 separate 7-night sailings to Aqaba in Jordan to visit Petra and three destinations in Egypt – Sharm El-Sheikh, Sokhna Port for Cairo and Safaga for Luxor – before returning to the Saudi port. In 2024, Explora Journeys’ second ship EXPLORA II will sail in the Middle East in 2024 and visit Jeddah to enable its passengers to visit the city as well as Al Ula and Hegra. Pierfrancesco Vago, Executive Chairman, Cruise Division, MSC Group, said, “We are honoured to have played an important role partnering with the key government bodies to stimulate the establishment of the cruise industry in Saudi Arabia. Initially starting with local cruises during the pandemic and then …

Saudi Arabia was officially granted Approved Destination Status (ADS) by the People’s Republic of China. The bilateral agreement, signed on behalf of the Ministry of Tourism of Saudi Arabia allows Chinese citizens to travel to Saudi Arabia in group tours in addition to facilitating greater ease of access to the Kingdom. The achievement of Approved Destination Status is a significant milestone for Saudi Arabia that will drive greater connectivity between the Kingdom and China and unlock new opportunities across the tourism ecosystem. The announcement comes after continued bilateral ties between both nations, including the success of the Arab-China Business Conference and the Saudi-China Roadshow earlier this year, demonstrating Saudi Arabia’s commitment to become an economic and strategic partner to China. Following the signing ceremony in Beijing in the presence of His Excellency Abdulrahman Ahmad Al-Harbi, Ambassador of Saudi Arabia to China, Fahd Hamidaddin, Chief Executive Officer of Saudi Tourism Authority and Du Jiang, Vice Minister of Culture and Tourism, P.R. of China. His Excellency Ahmed Al-Khateeb, The Tourism Minister of Saudi Arabia said, “Underpinned by China’s Belt and Road Initiative and Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 – a historic reform blueprint aimed at driving forward meaningful economic and social development – China and Saudi Arabia are unlocking limitless opportunities and driving forward mutually beneficial collaboration. The ADS status is expected to significantly boost inbound travel from China, creating greater ease of access needed to reach Saudi Arabia’s target of attracting 3 million Chinese tourists by 2030. Today signifies the culmination of months of dedicated efforts between our nations, encapsulating our enduring and historic bilateral relations, which is built on the foundation of shared vision and mutual interests. China’s expansive connectivity vision …

Saudi Arabia will grant visitor e-visas to travellers from eight newly-eligible countries: Albania, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, Maldives, South Africa, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan for leisure, business and religious (Umrah only) travel. Nationals of these countries can apply for a Saudi visitor visa ahead of their journey via the official e-visa portal at visitsaudi.com/en/travel-regulations Saudi is reimaging the tourism experience, with the famously warm and generous Saudi welcome – known as Hafawah – at the heart of its plans. The visitor e-visa is valid for an entire year, grants multiple entries and permits a stay of up to 90 days. And Visit Saudi offers an online trip planner for visitors to create custom itineraries with ease. From visiting Saudi’s six UNESCO World Heritage Sites, snorkeling and diving in Saudi’s Red Sea – one of the world’s most spectacular undiscovered diving spots, wandering Taif’s world-famous Rose Gardens, shopping like a local in Riyadh’s Deira Souq, chartering the unknown on land in the lush, green Asir region and tasting Saudi’s diverse and delicious culinary scene from fragrant Arabic dishes to internationally-renowned fine dining restaurants, there is something for everyone. Since launching the e-visa program in 2019, Saudi welcomed 93.5 million visits in 2022, a 93% increase compared to 2021, resulting in a tourism spend of SAR185 billion (USD49 billion). This rapid tourism growth is due to expanding visa initiatives, which now include 57 nations and two special administrative regions, compared to the initial 49 countries at the program’s launch. In 2022, Saudi extended regulations to provide a visitor e-visa to holders of valid Schengen, United Kingdom and United States of America visas that have been used to enter those countries before arriving in Saudi …

The King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture (Ithra) and the Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU) are excited to invite entries for the 6th edition of the Ithra Art Prize under a comprehensive partnership to promote and grow the arts and cultural industries across Saudi Arabia. The open call for the prize, which comes with a grant of $100,000, closes on September 30, 2023. The winning artwork will be unveiled during the AlUla Arts Festival in February 2024. One of the most significant grants in the region, the Ithra Art Prize at AlUla supports the partnership aim to empower the creative sector. This edition will focus on outdoor installation art and sculpture, and will be adjudicated by a committee of regional and international experts including representatives from Ithra and RCU. The Ithra Art Prize supports artists from and based in the Arab world to develop career-making work. The winner will receive $100,000, and Ithra will cover production costs up to $400,000. The winning piece will be unveiled and showcased at AlUla’s unique multi-arts festival championing art in all its forms, before joining Ithra’s permanent collection. The partnership boosts strategic talent and skills capabilities across the creative economy in line with Vision 2030, and connects Saudi’s western and eastern regions through art and culture. Fields for collaboration include film, training and education, corporate social responsibility, events and exhibitions, and research, including in digital awareness. It also delivers opportunities to build art-led skills development and experiences between the two communities. The agreement leverages Ithra’s expertise in offering curated courses, training programs and other cultural activities beyond the Centre’s campus and RCU’s efforts to build on AlUla’s rich legacy to place art and creativity …

Saudi Arabia (US$71.75) was the only other market to show a higher GOPPAR index over the previous month, at 102% of the 2022 comparable. Jordan’s GOPPAR level reached US$66.77 in May, showing a significant month-over-month increase (+34.1%). That level was 106% of what was seen in May 2022, but was down from the 369% index reported in April. Qatar reached a GOPPAR of US$37.95, down 20.9% year over year. The market, however, saw a month-over-month jump of 39.0% and was one of the only markets to show an improvement in the index (at 79% of May 2022 levels). Among key hotel markets in Middle East & Africa, Jordan and Qatar realized the only month-over-month  gross operating profit per available room (GOPPAR) improvements, according to STR’s May 2023 P&L data release. Key profitability metrics: TRevPAR – Total revenue per available room GOPPAR – Gross operating profit per available room EBITDA – Earnings before interest, income tax, depreciation, and amortization LPAR – Total labor costs per available room

Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU) has partnered with Centro Conservazione e Restauro “La Venaria Reale” (CCR), an Italian conservation institute, has partnered with the, the authority driving the comprehensive regeneration of AlUla, to further develop expertise in the restoration and conservation of northwest Saudi Arabia’s incredible cultural heritage. As part of the partnership, a group of 12 young Saudi professionals and new university graduates selected by RCU have travelled from AlUla to Italy for a knowledge exchange programme. The group of 6 women and 6 men will participate in workshops in both Venaria near Turin in northern Italy and AlUla. The multi-modal course will see CCR share best practices for the application of an interdisciplinary approach to heritage conservation science. Between July 2023 and February 2024, the group – 6 chemistry and biology graduates and 6 conservation officers from different parts of KSA – will take part in integrated and highly interactive modules designed to provide insights into the most relevant technical, scientific, historical, and conservation management issues, including tutoring on functional themes such as the planning, management, and conservation of archaeological sites. Sara Abram, Secretary General at CCR, said: “Partnering with RCU is a unique opportunity to explore the characteristics of our different cultural, social, and organisational contexts. In this programme, the CCR provides its technical, scientific, and humanistic expertise, through its professionals and with the involvement of lecturers from some of the most important Italian universities and conservation institutes.” Aimed at deepening knowledge of artefacts and their historical context, the programme reflects CCR’s methodological approach to conservation. Starting with preliminary observations, the course focuses on data collection and processing, and proceeds toward analysis of techniques and assessment, ending …

Speaking on Saudi Tourism Authority’s ever-strengthening collaboration with China, Fahd Hamidaddin, Chief Executive Officer and Member of the Board, Saudi Tourism Authority said, “Saudi is the world’s biggest investor in tourism, committing $550bn to new destinations by 2030. This investment along with the leadership, the commitment and the total orchestration in government and business around the sector has paid out dividends.” He further reiterated about digitalisation, “We are the second fastest-growing destination in the world, and if you take out Qatar during the World Cup, we are the fastest-growing destination in the world. When Saudi first started tourism, we started with an E-Visa that got recognized as the best digital platform – that was the founding cornerstone of what we’re building in this sector. We’re taking everything through digital. Accessibility, connectivity and creating a seamless journey are paved through digital.”

At the 10th Arab-China Business Conference in Riyadh, Fahd Hamidaddin, Saudi Tourism Authority CEO shared that the collaborative events to reinforce the strong bonds between China and Saudi, has unveiled untapped opportunities, propelling business growth. “We have multiple visa offerings for Chinese travelers, all offered online. Today we have a 50,000-seat capacity direct from Guangzhou, we are also expecting to operate from Beijing in August – another direct route – and SAUDIA has signed a digital transformation agreement with Accenture. Accenture is expecting to offer an additional 32 digital services on their system and today we have 26 agreements in place with online Chinese travel agencies. However, when you reach the destination, you want authenticity. That’s why we say digitize the expected and humanize the unexpected. While we are digitizing the services that provide seamless experiences and journeys, we need to remain true to Arabia, uniquely Saudi and authentically local in every destination visitors go to in Saudi.”  

Saudi announces new instant e-visa options that from today, will facilitate UK, US, and Schengen visas holders, as well as permanent residents of UK, US, and any EU country to obtain tourist e-visas to Saudi through www.mofa.gov.sa. Saudi has previously extended regulation to provide visas on arrival to the six categories, this is just the latest step as Saudi makes it easier than ever for visitors to experience the authentic home of Arabia and contribute to Saudi’s vision of reaching 100 million visits annually by 2030.  Since opening to tourism in 2019, Saudi has become one of the fastest-growing tourism markets globally, recording 93.5 million visits in 2022. This achievement is a result of the tremendous efforts of destinations across Saudi in providing visitors with unparalleled experiences and a seamless travel journey. Saudi Tourism Authority is accelerating efforts to make it easier for visitors from across the world to travel to Saudi. Through digitization, Saudi is increasing accessibility and connectivity, providing simplified entry routes to visitors, focused on enabling all travelers to enjoy our natural and cultural diversity. The new instant e-visa is among several initiatives that Saudi has launched over the past year to improve the visitor experience. In 2022, Saudi Tourism Authority launched the Nusuk platform in collaboration with the Pilgrim Experience Program. Nusuk, Saudi’s first ever official integrated digital platform, provides pilgrims and visitors an easy-to-use planning gateway for their journeys to Makkah, Madinah, and beyond. Saudi has previously extended regulation to provide visas on arrival to holders of valid US, UK, and Schengen visas as well as permanent residents of UK, US, and any EU country and e-visa eligibility was extended to residents of the GCC.  …