Articles tagged “saudi arabia”

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.

Saudi Arabia is expanding its infrastructure to support 15 million Umrah visitors a year by 2020, and 30 million by 2030. WebBeds and Agoda are two major Asian players that are jostling for position in the promising niche.

Uber needs to shed its Saudi Arabia investment as long as Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman remains in power, and the country bombs innocents in Yemen. Uber's leaders know they have to do this, but how they dump their Saudi investment and the extent of the divorce remain to be seen.

This story is yet more fodder supporting one of Skift's megatrends for 2018, which was that travel brands no longer get political at their own risk — they avoid politics at their own risk, given consumer expectations.

This development might be the worst-kept secret in theme park history. We're not sure what took Six Flags so long to seal the deal, but we do know the arrangement fits squarely into the operator's strategic goals — as long as everything goes according to plan.

Six Flags may not be ready to formally announce a park in Saudi Arabia, but we would not be surprised if plans are in the works.

Global hotel groups are more aware of cultural nuances in new countries than ever before and Accor's ambitious efforts to create an entirely new experience based on location is one that others will quickly follow.

It's not a surprise that Chinese tourists will be driving arrivals over the next four years, but expectations for substantial growth out of South America and Middle East prove that the U.S. needs to ease visa restrictions and increase marketing worldwide to make the most of the increase.

Luxury brands across all sectors are entering the Middle East to tap into the local and visitor base of high-spending customers. Their online presence is as, if not more, important than their on-the-ground services.

Saudi Arabia has a plan to build up four more colleges as it seeks to strengthen the impact of its tourism sector both in providing jobs and attracting visitors.