VISION 2030

Plans to Tap Massive Tourism Potential for Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea Unveiled

Red Sea Tourism in Saudi Arabia aims to create jobs, attract visitors.
Saudi Arabia wants to turn hundreds of miles of its Red Sea coastline into a global tourism destination, according to an announcement by the government's Public Investment Fund (PIF) and reports.

Saudi Arabia

News, analysis, and more

Tourism

Saudi Arabia Plans a Huge Red Sea Beach Tourism Project

Saudi Arabia wants to turn hundreds of kilometers of its Red Sea coastline into a global tourism destination governed by laws “on par with international...

 

Women in Saudi Arabia

Women’s rights in Saudi Arabia? There’s an app for that

Women’s rights in Saudi Arabia have always been a contentious issue. Women have only recently won a limited right to vote, they can’t work close...

 

Family Affairs Council

Three women on Saudi Arabia Family Affairs Council

Princess Lulwa Al Faisal Bin Abdul Aziz, who has dedicated her life to improving the welfare of women in Saudi Arabia, especially in the field...

 

Moody's

Moody’s gets licence to rate Saudi Arabia’s corporates

Moody's has obtained a licence to operate rating activities in Saudi Arabia, joining the two major foreign credit rating agencies Fitch and Standard & Poor's,...

 

Qatar Dispute

Qatar And Saudi Arabia Take Their Feud To The Airwaves, Internet

If you've turned on cable TV lately or looked at a national newspaper online, there's a good chance you've seen dueling ads by Saudi Arabia...

 

Qatar Dispute

Saudi-led bloc to allow Qatari planes use emergency air corridors

Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Bahrain, four Arab states boycotting Qatar, will allow Qatari planes to use air corridors in emergencies, the...

 

Domestic Sukuk

Saudi Arabian local Sukuk issuance is credit positive for Islamic Banks

The issuance is credit positive for Saudi banks because their profitability will benefit from the transfer of their large, low-yielding reserves of cash and placements...

 

Eastern Province Unrest

Saudi Arabia reportedly using Canadian military trucks against its own civilians

Videos and photos posted on social media allegedly show Riyadh using Canadian equipment in a violent crackdown on minority Shia dissidents...

 

Hip Hop

How Hip Hop became part of Saudi Arabia’s cultural scene

There has been debate over Hip Hop’s culturally acceptability in Saudi Arabia and whether it can become part of the Kingdom’s art landscape. Al-Jasser noted...

 

Saudi-Iran

Iran upholds sentences for Saudi Embassy attackers

Ten individuals involved in the attack on the Saudi Arabian Embassy in Tehran in January 2016 had their prison sentences upheld by an appeals court,...

 

Tourism

No visa, no veil? Saudi Arabia may ease rules for tourists

Saudi Arabia has announced plans to build a "semi-autonomous" visa-free travel destination along its northwestern Red Sea coast....

 

Saudi +

Regional and related topics

U.S.-Iran

Iran’s Energy Resurgence at Risk as U.S. Grows More Confrontational

Heightened tensions between Washington and Tehran look certain to stall already challenging efforts by Iran to attract billions of dollars in foreign investment for its...

 

Afghanistan

Trump considers withdrawal from Afghanistan

The Pentagon is finding proposed troop increases for Afghanistan to be a much harder sell than expected for President Donald Trump. Instead of an additional 4,000...

 

AQAP

Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula said to be flush with cash and positioned to launch new attacks

According to the FDD, AQAP is known to have pilfered at least $60 million from Yemen's central bank, and at one point earned about $2...

 

Anti-ISIS Campaign

Iraqi general sees easy victory over exhausted IS fighters in Tal Afar

A senior Iraqi general predicted a relatively easy victory for his forces in the upcoming battle for the Islamic State haven of Tal Afar as...

 

Turkey

DOD concerned by Turkey purchase of Russian air defense system

“What’s been reported here is something that’s not interoperable with anything that we have and that’s obviously cause for concern,” Davis said. The S-400 system is...

 

Hezbollah

9,000 Syrians cross from Lebanon to Syria in ceasefire deal

Around 9,000 Syrians including jihadists and their families will cross from Lebanon into Syria as part of a ceasefire deal between a former al Qaeda...

 

Kabul

ISIS targets Iraq Embassy in Kabul; all 4 attackers killed

The Islamic State group targeted the Iraqi Embassy in Kabul on Monday, with a suicide bomber blowing himself up outside the gates, followed by three...

 

Turkey

Turkey coup trial: Almost 500 in court amid protests

Almost 500 people arrested after last year's failed coup in Turkey have appeared in court accused of taking part in the plot. Some of the handcuffed...

 

Tony Blair

Tony Blair prosecution over Iraq war blocked by judges

Tony Blair should not face prosecution for his role in the 2003 Iraq war, the high court has ruled....

 

Yemen

Saudi to provide $33 mln in aid to fight cholera in Yemen

It is part of the 66.7-million-dollar financial commitment promised by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud to support the efforts to combat...

 

Iran in the Region

Commentary: Iran Is Outgunning And Outsmarting The US Across The Middle East

Iran has enlisted tens of thousands of young Shiite men into an armed network that is challenging the US across the Middle East. The Trump...

 

Fragrance

Meet the young Arab perfumers creating their own unique, Middle East-inspired scents

Al Houli is part of a new generation of perfumers in the Middle East, a region where big-name, international brands have traditionally reigned supreme when...

 

U.S. Middle East Policy

Commentary: Why the Middle East Hated Obama But Loves Trump

The tone was measured, but taken together his comments amount to a striking and stark indictment of Obama and much recent U.S. policy in the...

 

Qatar Dispute

Isolated Qatar Hires Firm Founded by Trump Aides Amid Crisis

Qatar has hired a Washington influence firm founded by former top campaign aides to President Donald Trump and another specialized in digging up dirt on...

 

Trump Travel Ban

Stranded Yemenis, thousands of others stand to lose ‘golden ticket’ to U.S.

Yemen is urging the U.S. government to take in dozens of Yemenis who traveled to Malaysia in recent months expecting to immigrate to the United...

 

Ride Sharing Apps

Snapp: how Tehran’s answer to Uber is changing how people travel, and live

Users can enjoy a low-cost ride without having to share their taxi but the app is also challenging Iranian notions of customer service and even...

 

War in Yemen

Yemen and the business of war

The country has all but run out of foreign currency but networks of Yemeni businessmen have been able to jerry-rig a surprisingly effective hawala or...

 

Qatar Dispute

Quartet says Qatar talks possible but no concessions

The four Arab countries leading an embargo against Qatar are ready to talk but not to back down from their demands, the quartet's foreign ministers...

 

GCC Health Insurance

GCC Health Insurance Report 2017

We have profiled six countries in the GCC region, inhabited by approximately 54 million people, including a sizeable foreign labor force, representing around 20% of...

 

ME3

The Gulf’s airlines are winning on product but losing at politics

The ME3 certainly have a winning product. They have won over customers with newer aircraft, better service, and highly competitive fares on flights that can...

 

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