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.

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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

Camel trainers wait for tourists at a promontory overlooking the Giza pyramids.

Controversial Egyptian slum removal mars Giza Plateau upgrade

The Nazlet al-Saman slum blemished the Giza Plateau for many decades, but its ongoing removal is bringing criticism of the government.

Tourists visit the Karnak Temple Complex, Luxor, Egypt, March 10, 2020.

Egypt to announce opening of world’s largest open museum in Luxor governorate

As part of Egypt’s efforts to boost tourism, the Ministry of Antiquities bets on the restoration of El-Kebash Road in Luxor, which is one of the biggest open-air archaeological sites in the world.

Pedestrians walk on Istiklal Street, the main shopping street in Istanbul, on the fourth day of the Eid-al-Adha holiday on July 23, 2021.

Turkey’s record growth rate belies murky economic prospects

Eager to woo back disgruntled voters, Erdogan appears bent on stimulating economic growth at the risk of stoking Turkey’s currency troubles.

This picture taken on May 14, 2021, shows an aerial view of Egypt's capital Cairo's Nile island of Manial al-Roda (top) and the historic old Cairo district (bottom).

Egypt to make oldest Islamic capital in Africa into open museum

Egypt is planning to turn the city of Fustat, the oldest Islamic capital in Egypt and Africa, into an open museum that offers tourists a distinctive experience.

Palestinians watch the group Watar Band perform during a concert in Gaza City on Feb. 25, 2016.

Gaza creates tourism police force

The Interior Ministry in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip is establishing a police force to protect tourist and hotel facilities after threats and attacks against some of those facilities by militants against the backdrop of holding mixed-gender concerts.

Yachts are moored at the marina in Egypt's Red Sea resort town of Hurghada on Aug. 24, 2018.

Egypt promotes yacht tourism after dip from COVID-pandemic

Egypt is promoting yacht tourism due to the economic returns it brings to the state, as the Delta variant picks up.

Egyptian officials wearing face masks against the coronavirus are pictured near an EgyptAir Airbus A320 neo aircraft at Hurghada Airport, Egypt, June 18, 2020.

Russian observers set up at Egypt's airports

Russia officially resumed flights to Egyptian resorts after a six-year hiatus, sparking controversy amid accusations that the government ceded too much authority to Moscow.

A large mosaic is pictured at the archaeological site of the Saint Hilarion Monastery, one of the largest Christian monasteries in the Middle East, in Tell Umm al-Amr close to Deir al-Balah, in the central Gaza Strip, March 19, 2013.

Domestic tourism thrives in Gaza

Local travel companies, in cooperation with the Ministry of Tourism, are organizing trips for Gazans to discover the many hidden archaeological sites spread across the besieged enclave.

ILYAS AKENGIN/AFP via Getty Images

Wildfires deliver blow to tourism in Turkey

Ankara has announced that all but two wildfires are under control and is busily reassuring tourists it's safe to return.

Saudi proof of vaccination required

Saudi Arabia to require vaccination proof for foreign tourists

Saudi Arabia has imposed some particularly strict travel measures recently amid regional concerns about coronavirus variants.

A picture taken on April 24, 2020, shows the Blue Mosque square with the Hagia Sophia museum in the background.

Secular Turks mock government’s appropriation of care-free lifestyles in Istanbul promo video

The negative responses highlight what secular members of Turkish society perceive as the government’s interference in their lifestyle choices.

Ukrainian tourisms in Bodrum

Turkey’s COVID-19 cases surge as restrictions relaxed during Eid

As holiday-makers flock to Turkey’s coastal areas and cast aside masks and social distancing, a surge in COVID-19 figures fans worries in the health sector of a fourth coronavirus wave, possibly as early as August.