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

Coronavirus gives kiss of death to Iran’s tourism industry before Nowruz

A coronavirus outbreak in Iran is hitting the country’s already battered tourism industry, and the timing couldn’t be worse as many would normally travel for the Persian New Year.

Socks for tourists, jobs for refugees in Jordan

Two young entrepreneurs in Jordan get women in refugee camps to knit socks for tourists.

Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu makes a speech as pro-Palestinian demonstrators take part in a rally to protest against U.S. President Donald Trump's proposed Middle East peace plan, in Istanbul, Turkey, February 9, 2020. REUTERS/Murad Sezer - RC20XE91NUJ8

Can Istanbul's mayor forge tourism as a tool for democracy?

Tourism is providing a test case of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu’s advocacy of “local participatory democracy," prompting a struggle with the government in Ankara over prominent landmarks in his city.

A tourist lifts up a boy as they visit waterfalls at Ayn Athum in Salalah, Dhofar province, Oman August 23, 2016. Picture taken August 23, 2016. REUTERS/Ahmed Jadallah - D1BETYFAUFAC

Is tourism the antidote to youth unemployment in Oman?

Omani officials aim to create over 500,000 jobs in the tourism sector by 2040.

Visitors walk outside the tombs at the Madain Saleh antiquities site, al-Ula, Saudi Arabia February 10, 2019. Picture taken February 10, 2019. REUTERS/Stephen Kalin - RC1F3C4632C0

Intel: What’s behind Israel’s latest decision to allow travel to Saudi Arabia

Israeli citizens are now allowed to travel to Saudi Arabia for the first time in the country’s history.

Archaeology clashes with development in Turkey's ancient city of Sagalassos

Excavated since 1990 by Belgian and Turkish archaeologists, Sagalassos offers not only a visit through majestic Roman monuments but also a glimpse on how people lived, worked, worshipped and died in the past.

Cappadocia's fairy chimneys, pristine snow beckons winter tourists

Cappadocia offers intrepid tourists and art lovers alike plenty to do and see during the winter months.

Saudi and Israeli tourism campaigns offer stark contrast in transparency

Public relations firms working to promote travel to foreign countries are all over the map when it comes to lobbying and PR disclosures.

Are silk and saffron the future of this Anatolian town?

The first female mayor of Safranbolu, a town dating to the 11th century, is eager to put her UNESCO-protected city on Turkey's tourism map.

Art, urban planning rejuvenates Central Anatolian city

Eskisehir combines restored Ottoman-era homes with new and hip museums, bars and galleries, attracting people from all over Turkey.

New tourism: learning about the Palestinian-Israeli conflict

An alternative tourism market, which offers tourists a chance to join Palestinians in an olive harvest or tour a refugee camp, has developed in Israel, so that tourists can experience the complex reality of this land.

Painted ancient coffins are seen at Al-Asasif necropolis, unveiled by Egyptian antiquities officials in the Valley of the Kings in Luxor, Egypt October 19, 2019. REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El Ghany - RC14A1CA7620

Egypt calls Luxor coffins 'greatest discovery of century'

The 30 uniquely well preserved coffins recently found in Egypt's southern city of Luxor are a godsend to Egyptian tourism.