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

What does timing of Lavrov’s visit to Cairo mean?

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov held talks with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and other officials during his visit to Cairo, focusing on political, economic and security ties between the two countries.

Women lead the way in Sinai hike

A new hiking initiative in Egypt's Sinai governorate, where hikes are led by local Bedouin women, creates new opportunities and showcases compelling narratives.

Sisi's moves to restore Jewish heritage get international applause

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi's decision to restore Jewish heritage sites may promote tourism and the image of his country.

This picture taken on December 29, 2018 shows tourist horse-drawn carts waiting by the base of the Great Pyramid of Khufu (or Cheops) at the Giza necropolis on the southwestern outskirts of the Egyptian capital Cairo on December 29, 2018. (Photo by MOHAMED EL-SHAHED / AFP) (Photo credit should read MOHAMED EL-SHAHED/AFP/Getty Images)

Visiting Egypt, Israelis thrilled by warm welcome

Egyptian intellectuals and politicians are disappointed over the refusal of the Israeli leadership to advance Palestinian statehood as promised in the peace treaty, but the people in the streets of Cairo welcome Israeli tourists.

Egypt eyes Asian tourists

Almost four years after the Russian plane crash over Egypt’s Sinai, the country’s recovering tourism sector is moving to expand the Asian markets.

Iraq's ancient city of Ur: source of law, site of wonder

Tourists are slowly beginning to return to the ancient Sumerian city of Ur, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, raising hopes among some locals.

Egypt's Red Sea Mountain Trail creates jobs for local Bedouin community

The success of the Sinai Trail, a popular route for hikers, has spurred the development of another, more ambitious project along the Red Sea.

History graduate shows West Bank off the beaten track

Mohammed Abu Hashhash's trekking guide of 144 routes aims to combine information on natural and cultural landscape with local stories.

Is Egyptian parliament encouraging alcohol consumption?

The Egyptian parliament's approval to lift the prohibition of the sale of alcohol in the law on shops has stirred a wide controversy in a country where Sharia is the source of legislation.

Turkish town gets a splash of color with local black rose

Turkey's southeastern town of Halfeti claims to be the home of a rare black rose grown only on the riverbeds of the Euphrates River.

Saudi Arabia seeks to entice visitors with pre-Islamic sites

Following last year's $20 billion French-Saudi deal to accelerate al-Ula’s development, there are more international archaeologists on the ground than ever before.

Can Egypt’s new airport revive country’s ailing tourism sector?

Egypt opened a new international airport in Giza governorate as part of the government’s efforts to boost the tourism sector that suffered a major setback following the January 25 Revolution.