Saudi Arabia aims to exceed 70 million tourist visits this year after drawing 62 million last year, a tourism official said on Monday, underlining the conservative kingdom concerted push to boost its travel industry. Saudi Arabia is a major religious destination with millions visiting Islam's two holy cities of Mecca and Medina annually to perform the hajj and umrah pilgrimages. The kingdom has in recent years started to promote leisure travel as part of a strategy aimed at diversifying the economy away from oil, spearheaded by de facto ruler Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. FILE PHOTO: Guests swim on a cruise ship during a leasure trip to the Red Sea, in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, September 20, 2021. REUTERS/Mohammed Benmansour Visits were up 130% in the first quarter of 2022 com...
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travel articles and news about Saudi Arabia
OXAGON will be forming the next phase of futuristic city NEOM's master plan # Clean energy, modern supply chain logistics in OXAGON to support business partners# OXAGON to welcome industrial pioneers beginning in 2022# Seven key industries supported by renewable energy to support industrial development# Unique octagon design supports NEOM's Blue Economy development Mohammed bin Salman, Crown Prince and Chairman of the NEOM Company Board of Directors, has announced the establishment of OXAGON, forming the next phase of NEOM's master plan and representing a radical new model for future manufacturing centers, based on NEOM's strategies of redefining the way humanity lives and works in the future. Comprising a large area in the southwest corner of NEOM, the core urban environment...
Read MoreRoyal Commission for AlUla and UNESCO announce a new partnership - Recently signed in Paris, the new agreement is part of RCU and UNESCO's inclusive cultural development plan to engage with local and worldwide communities- Newly announced partnership acts as a roadmap to showcase the introduction of Saudi Arabia and AlUla's physical and intangible heritage on the global stage- Partnership to set new benchmark in heritage conservation, education & capacity building, nature and creative arts in AlUla The Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU) has signed a long-term strategic partnership with UNESCO to preserve and promote a cultural landscape of outstanding natural and historical significance in North-West Saudi Arabia. Signed at the UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, the agreement ...
Read MoreOffshore platforms have so far been associated with oil explorations. But now, Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund, the Public Investment Fund, has announced on Saturday the launch of "THE RIG", which it said would be the world's first tourism destination on offshore platforms. The fund, the engine of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's economic transformation plans for Saudi Arabia, manages a portfolio worth $400 billion. Offshore Oil rig. Indicative photo. It added in a statement that the project was located in the gulf and spanned an area of more than 150,000 square metres. It said the project would feature a number of attractions, including three hotels, restaurants, helipads, and a range of adventurous activities including extreme sports. The funds did not disclose the...
Read MoreMajed Sait and his wife are spending their honeymoon on a cruise in the turquoise waters off Saudi Arabia's Red Sea coast, a voyage that is still a novelty in the conservative kingdom which only recently began to allow cruise ships to dock in its ports. Guests swim on a cruise ship during their leasure trip to Red Sea, in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, September 20, 2021. REUTERS/Mohammed Benmansour Foreign tourism inside Saudi Arabia was restricted and opportunities for domestic holidaymakers were limited until Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman began a drive in 2016 to bring social change and diversify the economy away from its dependence on oil. Since then, Saudi Arabia has introduced tourist visas for foreign visitors and launched a series of tourism projects, including along the Red Se...
Read MoreWhen U.S. celebrity chef David Burke opened his second restaurant in Riyadh earlier in August, hudreds of Saudi men and women packed the venue to enjoy his dishes and fruity "mocktails" to a DJ's mix of Arabic and Western pop. While Saudis usually escape the desert country over the summer when temperatures can reach over 50 degrees Celsius, the coronavirus pandemic has seen them flock to restaurants and cafes in the open-air mall The Zone, bolstering Saudi Arabia's consumer sector. Saudi women sit at David Burke's restaurant, in The Zone restaurant complex, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia August 25, 2021. REUTERS/Ahmed Yosri Noura, 21, a Saudi hostess at one such upscale restaurant said she has been booking up tables weeks in advance. "Before, that would have been impossible in August...
Read MoreThe International Air Transport Association (IATA) has welcomed the decision of the General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to accept IATA Travel Pass to confirm pre-departure COVID-19 test results for departing and arriving passengers starting 30th of September 2021. Eventually this acceptance will be expanded to vaccine certification. Man holding a passport with COVID-19 sign stamped onto a white paper, immunity passport or risk-free certificate concept, recovered Coronavirus COVID19 patients being issued proof of convalescence Travellers to/from KSA will have the choice of using either the IATA Travel Pass or Tawakkalna, the country’s national health app, owned and developed by Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA). IATA and...
Read MoreSaudi Arabia has restricted the annual Haj pilgrimage to its own citizens and residents for the second year running in response to the coronavirus pandemic, the state Saudi Press Agency (SPA)reported on Saturday. Only people aged between 18 and 65 who have been vaccinated or immunised against the virus, and are free of chronic diseases, will be able to take part, the ministry that manages the Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca said in a statement carried by SPA. FILE PHOTO: Muslim pilgrims wearing face masks and keeping social distance perform Tawaf around Kaaba during the annual Haj pilgrimage amid the coronavirus disease pandemic, in the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia July 31, 2020. Saudi Press Agency/Handout via REUTERS It also set a maximum of 60,000 participants. "The decision ...
Read MoreVisitors from 20 countries including India continue to be banned Saudi Arabia plans to soon reopen to foreign tourists, a senior tourism official said on Monday after the kingdom announced the lifting of quarantine restrictions for certain foreign arrivals. The kingdom announced late on Sunday that non-citizens arriving from certain countries and who were fully vaccinated against or recently recovered from COVID-19 would no longer be required to quarantine in designated government hotels. FILE PHOTO: Tourists watch Saudi men perform a traditional folk dance at the cultural village of Rijal Almaa in the outskirts of Abha, Saudi Arabia. REUTERS/Ahmed Yosri Those new measures, however, only apply to residents, government and business travellers or those visiting friends and famil...
Read MoreAlUla reveals details of its new global hub for archaeology - the Kingdoms Institute -The Kingdoms Institute is providing the platform for pioneering scientific research and discovery in Arabia's 22,000 square kilometre Living Museum-Detailed study in AlUla and beyond uncovers one of the oldest monumental building traditions yet identified: 'This will transform how we view Neolithic societies.'-Researchers conducted an unprecedented aerial survey of AlUla and the surrounding region followed by extensive ground survey and targeted excavation. The Kingdoms Institute, the recently unveiled centre for archaeological research and conservation studies in AlUla, has announced a significant archaeological discovery in north-west Saudi Arabia: the monumental, complex structures called mustat...
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