Tourism

The entrance to the city of Qiddiya, south of the capital Riyadh, April 25, 2019.

Analysis

Iran war tests Gulf's theme park ambitions

Saudi Arabia is pressing ahead with multibillion-dollar projects as the conflict disrupts regional tourism and exposes weaknesses in the Gulf states' entertainment strategies.

In Bristol, reporting on regional business, climate change, AI, tech

The 26-feet-tall statues of the ancient Egyptian King Amenhotep III (1391-53 BC), father of Amenhotep IV (Akhenaten) and probably grandfather of Tutankhamun, and his consort queen, Tiye, at the Egyptian Museum, Tahrir Square, Cairo, June 11, 2025.

Culture

Beyond King Tut: Cairo’s Egyptian Museum looks to reinvent itself

With Cairo's Egyptian Museum approaching its 125th anniversary, efforts are underway to reposition it on the cultural map in light of competition from newer, glitzier museums.

Building construction at the Red Sea in Egypt.

Explainer

UAE-Egypt ties keep growing as Cairo navigates shifting Gulf landscape

An Emirati investor could soon strike a $2.7 billion deal to develop another tourism project on Egypt's North Coast, the latest in a string of UAE-linked pacts that have continued advancing despite turmoil from the US-Iran war.

Mostafa Waziri, head of Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities, gives a press conference in the Saqqara necropolis, where archaeologists unearthed two human and animal embalming workshops as well as two tombs, south of Cairo, on May 27, 2023.

Culture

Saqqara’s next chapter: How Egypt is modernizing its oldest necropolis

Egypt has launched a major project to develop access to the Saqqara archaeological sites, which — according to archeologists — hold some of Egypt’s most important ancient sites spanning across multiple civilizations.

Latest News

Explainer

Saudi airlines outbuy Gulf rivals at Farnborough air show: What to know

Spectators look on as an A350-1000 by the European plane maker Airbus takes off on the second day of the Farnborough International Airshow 2026, Farnborough, July 21, 2026.

United Arab Emirates

Syria arrivals surge 111% as government bets on tourism revival

Tourism students and visitors visit the ruins of the ancient city of Apamea in the Hama countryside, Syria, on July 8, 2026.

Interview

Saudi labor localization will take ‘generation or two': Armada CEO

A student attends a training seminar at the Tourism Ministry Training center in the city of Riyadh on August 30, 2022.

Olivier Badard

CEO of Armada Holding

Israel-Iran escalation grounds flights across parts of Middle East

An Airbus A321 airliner arrives at the Mehrabad international airport during the delivery of the first batch of planes to the Iranian state airline Iran Air in the capital Tehran on Jaunary 12, 2017. - The aircraft arrived as part of an order for 100 other Airbus planes with a list price of around $20 billion (19 billion euros) on December 22, placed after the lifting of international sanctions on the Islamic republic. It will be used for internal flights landed at Tehran's Mehrabad airport. (Photo by ATTA

An Emirate woman watches the 360-degree video display at the Israeli Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Sept. 27, 2021.

Dubai Expo hopes to mark post-COVID transition for UAE

Dubai Expo 2020 is expected to be the most attended international event since the coronavirus pandemic.

US President Joe Biden addresses the 76th Session of the UN General Assembly in New York on Sept. 21, 2021.

The Takeaway: Iran nuclear diplomacy shows faint pulse at UN

Signs of life at an extraordinary meeting of senior Middle East officials; also, updates from our correspondents on Israel, West Bank, UAE, Turkey, Egypt, Iraq … and more … all in about 1,400 words!

An incoming passenger crosses with his luggage through a disinfection tunnel upon arriving on an Emirates flight at the Iranian capital Tehran's Imam Khomeini International Airport on July 17, 2020.

Iran to lift visa restrictions to revive pandemic-hit tourism sector

Iran’s new tourism chief said the government will soon scrap visa restrictions, a plan that the struggling tourism sector has been desperately waiting for to get back on its feet amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Egypt tourism

Egypt promotes medical tourism within Africa

A cross-agency recruitment campaign seeks to encourage citizens of other countries to visit Egypt for treatment

This picture taken on November 5, 2019, shows a view of Gulf Air Airbus A320 (R) and A321 (C, L) aircraft at Bahrain International Airport.

Bahrain's Gulf Air to start flights to Israel

The airline previously said it would begin flights to Tel Aviv in June. Bahrain's new ambassador to Israel wants Israeli tourists to visit.

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.