Tourism

FAYEZ NURELDINE/AFP via Getty Images

Saudi's PIF downsizes foreign investment, turns to AI, domestic priorities

Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund is looking to invest in tourism, real estate and sustainability as its Vision 2030 deadline draws closer.

Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath addresses the media in Colombo on Oct. 24, 2024.

Sri Lanka arrests 3 men in plot to attack Israeli-run Jewish center: What we know

Three Sri Lankan nationals were arrested on Thursday after Israel's National Security Council urged Israelis to leave certain areas of the country due to "credible terrorism threats."

Rosaleen Carroll

By Rosaleen Carroll

In Washington, DC, US, reporting on the Middle East

WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 31: U.S. President Joe Biden meets with Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani, Amir of the State of Qatar, in the Oval Office on January 31, 2022 in Washington, DC. The two leaders were expected to discuss a range of issues, including global energy security as concerns about Russian natural gas supplies continue. (Photo by Tom Brenner-Pool/New York Times/Getty Images)

Qatar to join US visa-free travel list in first for Arab country

Qatar is set to become the second Middle Eastern country, behind Israel, to join the US Visa Waiver Program.

Employees of Aramco oil company work in Saudi Arabia's Abqaiq oil processing plant on September 20, 2019.

Analysis

Can Saudi Arabia afford giga-projects with oil prices under $75 per barrel?

Riyadh could soon run a current account deficit as oil revenue declines amid huge spending commitments toward ambitious Vision 2030 projects. Saudi-led OPEC has also deferred an output increase plan to allow more time to reach desired oil prices.

Jennifer Gnana

Samuel Wendel

By Jennifer Gnana , Samuel Wendel

Latest News

Saudia inks deal for electric flying taxis from Germany amid airline order spree

Media image of a Lilium eVTOL jet, download July 18, 2024.

Qatar Airways sees annual profit climb by 39% to record $1.67B

Reporters gather near a Qatar Airways cargo airplane on the tarmac of Hamad International Airport, as the first commercial flight to Saudi Arabia in three and a half years following a Gulf diplomatic thaw prepares for take-off, Doha, Qatar, Jan. 11, 2021.

Sign up to our Daily Briefing

Keep up with Al-Monitor's top stories with a morning digest from across the region.

Turkey: UK issues sex-crime warning for travelers, reports 42 cases in 2023

OZAN KOSE/AFP via Getty Images

As Hajj kicks off, Saudi Arabia looks to expand tourism sector

FADEL SENNA/AFP via Getty Images

Sebastian Castelier

By Sebastian Castelier

In Dubai, reporting on regional business

This picture taken on July 8, 2020, shows an aerial view of Emirates aircraft parked on the tarmac at Dubai International Airport.

Saudi Arabia’s race for Gulf economic leadership takes to the sky

The kingdom diversification plan goes head-to-head with flag carriers Emirates and Qatar Airways, as intra-Gulf economic rivalries heat up on all fronts.

MENAHEM KAHANA/AFP via Getty Images

Jordan prices entice Israeli vacationers

High prices in Israeli hotels might drive locals to prefer trips to Jordan or Egypt as international travel cautiously resumes.

A boy receives a dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine at the Clalit Healthcare Services in the Israeli city of Holon near Tel Aviv on June 21, 2021.

Israel records highest daily coronavirus cases in three months

The number of COVID-19 infections in Israel, which includes those of the delta variant, is still relatively low in the country.

FAYEZ NURELDINE/AFP via Getty Images

Saudi Arabia plans second national airline in tourism push

The additional airline would help position the Gulf state as a global logistics hub, Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman said.

Dan Kitwood/Getty Images

Abu Dhabi offers tourists free coronavirus vaccines

The capital of the United Arab Emirates is also set to remove quarantine requirements on travelers from certain countries deemed low-risk.

United Arab Emirates

Boxes of coronavirus vaccines are stacked on the tarmac after the first batch arrived at Khartoum airport on an Emirates flight, Sudan, March 3, 2121.

Emirates loses more than $5 billion in 2020

The Dubai-based airline's financial struggles amid the coronavirus pandemic has led to job cuts and a massive cash injection from the government.

Tourists visit the Nasir al-Mulk Mosque, also known as the Pink Mosque, in the southern Iranian city of Shiraz on Sept. 27, 2018.

Iran and Russia sign visa waiver agreement

The deal focuses on making it easier for large tourist groups to travel to Iran and Russia.

An image of the Cairo citadel, 1858-1890.

Documentaries explore Cairo’s old neighborhoods, alleyways

An Egyptian archaeologist has launched an initiative to shed light on Cairo’s heritage by filming short documentaries about the various alleys and streets in the capital.

"enjoyed — i'm vaccinated" face mask

Turkish vaccinated tourism video provokes anger

Foreign tourists are exempt from Turkey's coronavirus lockdown, and hospitality workers were given priority in receiving the vaccine.

Metrojet official discusses 2015 crash

Egypt, Russia agree to resume flights to Red Sea resorts

Russia suspended flights to Egypt in 2015 after the Islamic State brought down a Russian airline over the Sinai peninsula.

A sign reads "Social distance 1.5m" next to the pool of a hotel on June 19, 2020, at Lara district in Antalya, a popular holiday resort in southern Turkey. The novel coronavirus pandemic has hit Turkey's tourism industry, the backbone of the country's economy.

Turkey’s tourism sector fears another disastrous year

Apprehension is growing in Turkey that its tourism sector, a vital hard-currency earner, might fail to recuperate in 2021 amid a new peak in the coronavirus pandemic.

In this handout picture released by the Turkish presidential press office, Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (C) and invited guests attend Friday prayers at Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque during the building's first official prayers after being reconverted into a mosque on July 24, 2020, in Istanbul, Turkey.

Erdogan is MENA’s most popular leader, Arab Barometer finds

Turkey's promotion of cultural heritage, including through its tourism and entertainment sectors, is one reason for Erdogan's popularity. However, the perception of the Ottoman legacy is gradually shifting from one of praise to one of condemnation toward Turkish policies.