
Saudi Arabia Tops Global Ranking in Growth of International Tourism Receipts in Q1 2025
Saudi Arabia ranked first globally in growth of international tourism receipts in the first quarter of 2025 compared with the first quarter of 2019, according to the World Tourism Barometer published by UN Tourism in May. As outlined in the report, the Kingdom placed third worldwide in growth of international tourist arrivals and second in the Middle East, in Q1 2025 compared to Q1 2019. During the first quarter of 2025, the Kingdom recorded a remarkable 102% increase in international tourist arrivals compared with the same period in 2019—far exceeding the global average of 3% and the Middle East average of 44%. This outstanding growth underscores Saudi Arabia's position as a key player in both regional and global tourism and underlines the Kingdom's unwavering commitment to advance the sector and realize its objectives set in Saudi Vision 2030.

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Tourism Breaking News
3 days ago
- Tourism Breaking News
Saudi Arabia Tops Global Ranking in Growth of International Tourism Receipts in Q1 2025
Post Views: 64 Saudi Arabia ranked first globally in growth of international tourism receipts in the first quarter of 2025 compared with the first quarter of 2019, according to the World Tourism Barometer published by UN Tourism in May. As outlined in the report, the Kingdom placed third worldwide in growth of international tourist arrivals and second in the Middle East, in Q1 2025 compared to Q1 2019. During the first quarter of 2025, the Kingdom recorded a remarkable 102% increase in international tourist arrivals compared with the same period in 2019—far exceeding the global average of 3% and the Middle East average of 44%. This outstanding growth underscores Saudi Arabia's position as a key player in both regional and global tourism and underlines the Kingdom's unwavering commitment to advance the sector and realize its objectives set in Saudi Vision 2030.


Tourism Breaking News
3 days ago
- Tourism Breaking News
flyadeal named as number 1 On-Time Performance in Mid East, Africa Category by Cirium
Post Views: 32 According to Cirium flyadeal was number one in the Middle East and Africa category. Cirium's June data also showed flyadeal recorded a 99.2 per cent completion rate meaning minimal cancellations throughout the month. With sister airline Saudia topping the global airlines category at 91.33 per cent – the top 10 per cent of all passenger airlines by capacity – flyadeal emerged as the most punctual overall when considering all carriers published in Cirium's June 2025 report. OTP measures flight punctuality within 15 minutes of scheduled arrivals. Almost eight years old, flyadeal operates more than 200 scheduled flights a day from three bases in Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam. Steven Greenway, flyadeal Chief Executive Officer, said: 'In September last year flyadeal secured Number 1 status as the world's best for operational performance. Today we are celebrating again being the world's most punctual airline based on all airlines in Cirium's monthly data. This is an incredible achievement as we've continued to grow capacity, the number of passengers flown and introduced new domestic and international routes. 'With this comes the need for consistency. Every month since the beginning of the year, flyadeal has maintained great consistency being the number one low-cost airline for punctuality in the Middle East that demonstrates our continued focus on safe and reliable operations. 'As we celebrate Saudia topping the global airlines category, in June, our OTP was the adjudged the best among all airlines in the Middle East and Africa in what was one of the busiest months of the year operating scheduled flights and Hajj charters. Congratulations go to flyadeal colleagues and our airport partners across the network for their dedication and commitment to maintain our operations at the highest levels of efficiency.' flyadeal currently operates a fleet of 39 aircraft from bases in Jeddah, Riyadh and Dammam to over 30 year-round and seasonal destinations in the Middle East, North Africa, Europe and South Asia. By 2030, in line with Saudi Vision 2030, flyadeal expects to triple its network to over 100 destinations and more than 100 aircraft.


TECHx
4 days ago
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Visa Launches She's Next Initiative in Saudi Arabia
Home » Emerging technologies » Fintech » Visa Launches She's Next Initiative in Saudi Arabia Visa (NYSE: V), digital payments, has announced the launch of a new edition of its global advocacy initiative, She's Next in Entrepreneurship, in Saudi Arabia. This initiative is in partnership with Saudi Awwal Bank (SAB) and Monsha'at. This latest launch builds on Visa's long-standing commitment to supporting women-led businesses in the region. Applications are open until July 21, 2025, for women entrepreneurs across Saudi Arabia. Five finalists will be announced on August 1. They will participate in a pitch event and final judging on September 2. Three winners will be selected to receive equity-free grants totaling USD 60,000: Main Prize: USD 30,000 Runner-Up: USD 20,000 People's Favorite: USD 10,000 The program is open to women from all sectors, from established businesses to emerging startups with high-growth potential. Haya Sawan, a fitness expert and wellness entrepreneur in Saudi Arabia, joins the program as mentor. She leads several ventures, including SheFit and Playball Saudi, and serves on the board of the Saudi Surfing Federation. Ali Bailoun, Visa's Regional General Manager in KSA, Bahrain, and Oman, said the program supports more than just funding. It offers mentorship, recognition, and growth opportunities aligned with Saudi Vision 2030. He cited Visa's Women SMB Digitalization study, which found that 50% of women business owners want to expand their services, and 20% seek better financial skills. Lama Ghazzaoui, Chief Financial Officer at SAB, said that empowering women is a core commitment at the bank. She highlighted the growing impact of women-led businesses in the country. Monsha'at emphasized that empowering women entrepreneurs is key to national prosperity. The organization believes access to tools, mentorship, and funding enables women to drive innovation and job creation. Visa reported that this initiative follows successful past editions focused on fashion, gaming, and sports. It now returns to spotlight broader entrepreneurship in Saudi Arabia. In 2023, Visa and the International Trade Centre (ITC) trained 340 women across six countries under the SheTrades and She's Next programs. These initiatives supported over 12,000 women employees. Globally, Visa has invested approximately USD 3 million since 2020 in grants and coaching for over 250 women SMB owners, including in Saudi Arabia, UAE, Oman, Bahrain, Qatar, and Kuwait.