Middle East Travel Destination Industry News by Skift

Etihad and Emirates Suspend Flights to Qatar as Gulf State Rift Grows

Associated Press

It is quite rich for Saudi Arabia to claim other states support terrorism. Perhaps now the big three U.S. carriers can stop making equally ironic claims about subsidies and just watch the Gulf carriers fight each other?

3 weeks ago

Turkey Tourism Makes Slight Turnaround After Year of Russian Tensions

Onur Ant, Bloomberg

Turkey's tourism troubles extend far beyond its issues with Russia and average daily rates for hotels are still very low.

3 weeks ago

Egyptian Officials Are Optimistic Tourism Woes Are on the Mend This Year

Maria Sheahan, Reuters

Investment in security at airports and tourist attractions are a good first step in showing tourists that Egypt is ready for them. But any unrest elsewhere in the Middle East this year will be a factor in how many tourists visit Egypt.

4 months ago

Banksy-Designed West Bank Hotel Shows Art Meeting Politics

Nebi Qena, Associated Press

Banksy has become one of the most fascinating artists-slash-tourist-magnets in modern times. If this property indeed operates like a typical hotel, we expect demand will push rates far above $30 a night.

4 months ago

Three Ways to Make the Most of a Dubai Airport Layover

Dean Fosdick , Associated Press

Have an eight-over layover in Dubai? Why not make the best of its and go dune bashing? Or if you're feeling less adventurous, perhaps you'll try a desert sunset safari.

4 months ago

Turkey’s Travel Chiefs Look to Arab Tourists to Make Up for Reduced European Visitors

Neyran Elden and Mehmet Guzel, Associated Press

Undertourism is a thing, too. Europeans are avoiding Turkey due to its turmoil. TUI's annual revenues from Turkey, where it is the market leader, fell by nearly 50 percent in 2016. But inbound tourism from the Arab world is rising.

4 months ago

Egypt Hopes to Revive Russian Tourism With Airport Upgrades

Hamza Hendawi, Associated Press

Those who work in Egypt's tourism industry will be hoping the changes made at key airports will be enough to allay the security fears of Russia (and the UK). The market has been decimated by geo-political problems and needs big changes if it is to start to recover.

4 months ago

Travelers to Egypt Face a Doubling of Its Visa Fee

Maggie Michael, Associated Press

Travelers considering a trip to Egypt were already weighing its beautiful resorts and attractions against the risk of turmoil. So the country's plans to levy higher visa fees on visitors seems ill-timed.

4 months ago

Six Flags Says It Is Just Getting Started With Its International Expansion

Hannah Sampson, Skift

How much of the world is eager to host a Six Flags theme park? The Texas-based company is trying to find out.

4 months ago

Saudi Arabia Struggles to Become Tourist-Ready

Vivian Nereim and Glen Carey, Bloomberg

Saudi Arabia has a lot of societal issues to solve before it can even be on a serious tourism map of the planet. And so far it has come back with lots of big plans, and nothing else. "Saudi Arabia doesn’t even issue tourist visas." We rest our case.

4 months ago

Dubai to Test Drone Taxis for Travelers

Jon Gambrell, Associated Press

We're not sure if this idea will fly — at least with the public. Dubai hopes to have a passenger-carrying drone in July. But it took time for best practices and regulations for helicopters to be worked out. It may be too soon to send individuals soaring by drone over traffic and buildings.

4 months ago

Saudi Fund Is Reportedly Considering a Stake in Six Flags

Wael Mahdi, Dinesh Nair, and Matthew Martin, Bloomberg

It's not clear whether the reported conversations will result in the fund investing in Six Flags. But regardless of what happens, the theme park operator obviously sees a lot of promise in Saudi Arabia.

4 months ago