Abeer Abu Omar and Sarah Algethami, Bloomberg
Alongside its planned tourism boom, Saudi Arabia will need a new workforce. And for the first time, it's the Saudis themselves who seem to be warming to the idea of working in the service and hospitality sector.
3 weeks ago
Jon Gambrell, Associated Press
Dubai may have ambitious plans for Expo 2020 to attract 25 million visitors, but regional politics and global economic conditions may stand in its way.
4 weeks ago
Raini Hamdi, Skift
Businesses can’t resist the opportunities that a new frontier brings. In the case of Saudi Arabia, however, the gamble they take is whether tourists will actually go, given the kingdom’s poor image. The adage "build and they will come" is being tested.
1 month ago
Patrick Donahue, Bloomberg
Many have wondered how Saudi Arabia will lure tourists given its strict local customs. It appears the strategy is simple: —have different rules for tourists than the Kingdom does for locals.
1 month ago
Sarah Algethami, Zainab Fattah and Vivian Nereim, Bloomberg
Saudi Arabia has taken so few real steps to open to the outside world that even small steps like this seem like big ones.
2 months ago
Rosie Spinks, Skift
Saudi Arabia certainly put a lot of thought and money into its latest promotional pitch ahead of a rumored e-visa scheme. But it takes more than drone shots to kick off a successful tourism marketing strategy — clarity in message matters too.
2 months ago
Devina Divecha, Skift
As Dubai deals with the disruptions for planning for Expo 2020, the tourism authority is leaving no stone unturned to market the destination on a global level. But while tourism volumes are increasing steadily, the hospitality sector needs to work toward bumping its rates back up.
3 months ago
Matthew Martin and Sarah Algethami, Bloomberg
Saudi Arabia's efforts to become less dependent on oil look to be in full swing by developing its coast. The kingdom will face big tourism competition in the region and challenges with its record on human rights.
3 months ago
Devina Divecha, Skift
Third-party management is a relative unknown in the Middle East’s hospitality landscape. The challenge that white-label companies face is convincing owners and operators to relinquish control.
3 months ago
Vivian Nereim and Sarah Algethami, Bloomberg
This indeed is one of the biggest items of news in Saudi Arabia. A thousand congratulations to Saudi women. The travel industry most certainly will welcome you.
4 months ago
Filipe Pacheco and Nicolas Parasie, Bloomberg
Hard times are in for Dubai's tourism players, with big names such as Jumeirah cutting jobs to survive a downturn. Earlier, as Skift reported, Emaar has ventured to China, seeking growth in a project with the new Beijing international airport.
4 months ago
Vivian Nereim and Donna Abu-Nasr, Bloomberg
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has quite the grand vision of a city-state powered by the internet of things, a destination that will feature state-of-the-art resorts and robots. Development has slowly begun, but what with political and investment challenges, we're not holding our breath for this to be a completed reality anytime soon.
4 months ago
