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

Karol G attends the 23rd Annual Latin Grammy Awards at Michelob ULTRA Arena., Las Vegas, Nov. 17, 2022.

Egypt hopes Colombian superstar's song will draw tourists

Colombian superstar Karol G released a new song, “Cairo,” and filmed its music video at some of the most prominent touristic and archaeological sites in Egypt, including the Pyramids.

The underground tunnel is found beneath Taposiris Magna, west of the coastal city of Alexandria.

Archaeologists in Egypt discover tunnel that may lead to Cleopatra’s tomb

The archaeological mission uncovered an ancient tunnel that may lead to Cleopatra’s tomb.

MENAHEM KAHANA/AFP via Getty Images

Israel, Jordan to restore Jordan River

Israel and Jordan are creating a plan to rehabilitate and protect the Jordan River, making it a year-round water source with a healthy ecosystem.

Models present creations by Italy's iconic fashion house Stefano Ricci at the temple of the Ancient Egyptian Pharaoh Hatshepsut.

International fashion shows land in Egypt

Luxury fashion houses Stefano Ricci, Elie Saab and Dior have chosen different iconic places in Egypt to host major events, in line with the authorities’ new branding strategy aimed at attracting new visitors by leveraging the country’s cultural and artistic side.

A Japanese and an Emirati man in traditional clothes check their phones at the Arabian Travel Market.

UAE and Japan agree to visa-free travel

The two countries also recently pledged to boost economic, industrial and energy cooperation.

United Arab Emirates

People gather next to the Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup countdown clock in Doha, on Sept. 12, 2022.

Egypt to push tourism at Qatar World Cup

Egypt is offering direct flights from Doha to Egyptian cities during the 2022 FIFA World Cup to lure fans and boost tourism.

An aerial view of the city of Zahle in Lebanon's eastern Bekaa Valley, photo taken during a press tour by the Lebanese air force, July 1, 2021.

From homes to guesthouses: some Lebanese find ways to survive economic meltdown

Despite Lebanon's worst financial crisis since its civil war, guesthouse investment is growing as rural tourism soars, generating much-needed revenue for its cash-strapped citizens and empowering local communities and talents.

Souvenir stand in Petra, Jordan.

Gendarmerie operation sparks controversy in Petra, Jordan

Petra’s tribal entrepreneurs react to a security operation carried out inside Jordan’s most-visited UNESCO World Heritage Site with criticism and concern for their livelihoods.

AFP via Getty Images

With warming of diplomatic ties, Israel, Turkey expect bilateral trade boom

Now that diplomatic relations have improved, Israel hopes to increase and expand its exportations to Turkey in fields such as water treatment, smart agriculture and energy.

NATALIA KOLESNIKOVA/AFP via Getty Images

Egypt to adopt Russian Mir payment system to encourage tourism, trade exchange

Russian tourists and companies will be allowed to pay through the Russian Mir system in Egypt ahead of the winter season, which Cairo is hoping will boost its tourism sector.

Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities restorers and archaeologists restore the statue of King Thutmose II.

Egypt restores massive statue of King Thutmose II

Within the scope of the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities’ efforts to restore monuments and paintings at the Karnak Temple complex in Luxor, the Supreme Council of Antiquities completed the restoration work of the statue of King Thutmose II on the southern facade of Karnak.

An aerial view of Warraq Island on the Nile River on the northern outskirts of Cairo, Egypt, May 14, 2021.

Cairo evicts Nile island residents for development project

Egyptian security forces and residents of the Nile River's Warraq Island are clashing as the government tries to evict them as part of a development plan.