Deepthi Nair Archives - Skift

Deepthi Nair is Skift’s Middle East Reporter, covering aviation, hospitality, tourism policy, and travel trends across the Gulf and wider region. Based in Dubai, she reports on how the region is reshaping global travel — from airline expansion and visa shifts to mega tourism projects. She regularly interviews top industry executives and government leaders. Outside of work, Deepthi is usually planning her next trip.

The skyline of Dubai

Airlines

UAE Bets on Discounts, Insurance, and New Visa Markets to Refill Hotel Rooms After Iran War Hit

The UAE is running two recovery tracks at once — emergency incentives to plug a war-driven demand hole and multibillion-dollar infrastructure bets. The gap between those timelines is the story.

Deepthi Nair | 3 days ago

Hotels

Dubai’s Rove Hotels Targets Saudi Arabia’s Mid-Scale Gap Before the Events Crunch Hits

Mid-scale supply in Saudi Arabia is structurally short, and the events pipeline — Expo 2030, the 2034 World Cup — will make that shortage acute. Rove is moving early, but it won’t be the only brand doing the math.

Deepthi Nair | 1 week ago

Hegra in AlUla, Saudi Arabia.

Hotels

AlUla Is Tripling Its Hotel Rooms to Chase 1 Million Visitors by 2030

The destination has a real demand story. The question is whether the room pipeline can keep pace.

Deepthi Nair | 2 weeks ago

Heathrow Airport, British Airways Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner

Airlines

UK and Australia Lift Gulf Travel Warnings, But European Airlines Await Clearance

Gulf travel advisories are moving. War-risk insurance authorization isn’t — and that’s the constraint that controls when European airlines come back.

Deepthi Nair | 2 weeks ago

A museum in Egypt

Hotels

Egypt Emerges as the Winner in the Middle East’s Travel Shake-Up

The Iran war hasn’t destroyed Middle East travel demand — it has reshuffled it. Egypt is picking up what the Gulf is losing.

Deepthi Nair | 3 weeks ago

Hotels

Dubai Took a Hit — IHG Is Betting on Egypt, Saudi, and a Q4 Recovery

IHG’s Middle East hotels are filling up with GCC and Indian travelers, but the European market hasn’t come back.

Deepthi Nair | 4 weeks ago

The departure hall at Hamad Interational Airport in Qatar.

Airlines

Middle East Airlines Face $4.3 Billion Loss — the Only Region in the Red

The Gulf hub model was built for scale and transfer traffic. The Iran war has disabled both.

Deepthi Nair | 4 weeks ago

Tour Operators

Europe Visa Bottlenecks Push UAE Residents to Rethink Travel Plans

The visa queue will clear. The question is whether leisure demand comes back with it.

Deepthi Nair | 4 weeks ago

Tourists taking photos during a bus tour in Dubai

Airlines

Dubai Turns to New Visitors and Events to Ride Out Iran War Tourism Slump

Every tool is in play. What’s missing is a lasting ceasefire.

Deepthi Nair | 1 month ago

A graphic showing Riyadh Air planes in the sky

Airlines

Riyadh Air to Take Delivery of First Planes, Plans 100 Cities in 5 Years

Connecting 22 cities in nine months is a bold ambition.

Deepthi Nair | 1 month ago