Tourism

Sheraton

Damascus hotel to get revamp in Syria-Saudi partnership: What we know

The rebranding and rehabilitation of the Seven Gates Hotel comes as part of an agreement between the Syrian government and the Saudi-owned Le Park Concord hospitality group.

The Public Investment Fund is present during the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells Tennis Garden on March 13, 2024, in Indian Wells, California.

Saudi Arabia's PIF buys $2B majority stake in entertainment giant MBC

The deal highlights the PIF’s continued expansion into the regional media and entertainment sector in accordance with Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 agenda.

KHALED DESOUKI/AFP via Getty Images

Saudi Arabia, UAE firms sign $18.5B tourism megaproject for Egypt

The new deal forms part of Egypt’s Vision 2030 agenda as the government aims to secure $42 billion in foreign direct investment this year.

WANG ZHAO/AFP via Getty Images

Qataris hail Chinese robotaxis as Gulf embraces driverless cars

Three Chinese companies have publicly announced plans to roll out the autonomous vehicles in the Gulf.

Latest News

Saudi Arabia’s King Khalid airport sets record with 3.9M passengers in July

People wait for the arrival of relatives at King Khalid International Airport in the Saudi capital of Riyadh on the first commercial flight from Qatar on Jan. 11, 2021.

Mideast airlines see 0.4% dip amid Iran, Gaza wars, as global demand up 2.6%

Lufthansa Airbus A 340

Wildfires spread across Turkey’s tourism hub Izmir amid regionwide heat wave

Firefighters spray water to extinguish flames in a forest in Izmir, Turkey, Aug. 16, 2024.

From Lebanon to Qatar, Israel-Iran war disrupts flights, airport traffic: What to know

Ground staff prepare a Middle East Airlines flight for departure on the tarmac at Rafic Hariri International Airport in Beirut on May 2, 2025.

People enjoy the sun and the sea along the Kadinlar Beach of Kusadasi on July 17, 2005.

Turkey: $30M credit card scam hits tourists in coastal resort, 20 arrested

The alleged ringleader, a hotel owner identified as "H.O.," stole the money by sharing credit card details of tourists checking into the property.

GIUSEPPE CACACE/AFP via Getty Images

Mideast airlines to deliver industry’s highest profit margins in 2025

The region's airlines are forecast to hit a profit margin of 8.7% in 2025, slightly lower than last year's figure of 8.9% but the highest in the industry.

Iranian Muslim pilgrims head to Saudi Arabia's Mount Arafat, also known as Jabal al-Rahma or Mount of Mercy, during the climax of the Hajj pilgrimage, on June 27, 2023.

Saudi airline to resume Hajj flights to Iran after 10-year hiatus: What to know

A Saudi-operated flight landed in Tehran last weekend as Iran and Saudi Arabia seek to expand their air connectivity.

GIUSEPPE CACACE/AFP via Getty Images

Citing lack of security, UAE billionaire abandons Lebanon investments

Emirati businessman had previously said he received threats leading to the cancellation of a planned TV channel launch in Lebanon in 2024

Mourners react during a funeral service for Sozcu newspaper columnist and journalist Nedim Turkmen, his wife and his two children killed during a huge fire in a ski resort hotel in Bolu, at Marmara University Faculty of Theology Mosque in Istanbul on Jan. 22, 2025.

Turkey: Death toll from ski resort blaze rises to 79

As officials continue to play the blame game, the number of people detained as part of the investigation into the disaster has increased to 11.

The fire at a hotel in Turkey’s northwestern province of Bolu at a 12-story wooden-clad hotel

Turkey declares national day of mourning after ski resort fire kills at least 76

The blaze struck a popular ski resort hotel, leaving dozens dead.

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."

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

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

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

The agreement to purchase 50 jets, with an option for 50 more, was made with Lilium, headquartered outside Munich.

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.

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

The Doha-based airline carried more than 40 million passengers over the 2023/2024 financial year, 26% more than over the previous year.