Sporting events draw 14mln tourists with $6bln spending in 2024: minister
RIYADH — Deputy Minister of Tourism Princess Haifa Al-Saud said that sporting events have attracted 14 million tourists with a total spending of SR22 billion in 2024.
Attending a panel discussion at the 2025 Sports Investment Forum in Riyadh on Monday, Princess Haifa emphasized the growing role of sports tourism in the Kingdom. She noted that the Kingdom has welcomed visitors from more than 160 different nationalities to attend sporting events.
The opportunities that are opened up by sports tourism and sporting events are limitless, Princess Haifa said, while emphasizing that there is a strong desire among people to come to Saudi Arabia and explore it.
According to Princess Haifa, applications for licenses to carry out tourism activities have shot up by 390 percent since the announcement that the Kingdom would host the World Cup in 2034.
© Copyright 2022 The Saudi Gazette. All Rights Reserved. Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (Syndigate.info).
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Gulf Today
10 hours ago
- Gulf Today
England chase down big total to seal three-match Twenty 20 series against Windies
Jos Buttler top-scored again as England chased down an imposing target and beat West Indies by four wickets in the second T20 on Sunday to take a 2-0 lead and seal the three-match series, continuing their excellent form under new captain Harry Brook. Former captain Buttler's 47 from 36 balls at Bristol's County Ground came on the back of his 96 in the first T20 in Durham and set the platform for England to hunt down West Indies' total of 196-6 with nine balls to spare. It was a second straight series victory for England under the captaincy of Brook after they secured a 3-0 series sweep in the one-dayers. Jacob Bethell hit a thrilling 26 from 10 balls, which included three sixes, as England spread the runs throughout the team with Ben Duckett (30), Brook (34) and Tom Banton (30) providing solid backup. England, who won the toss and chose to bowl, got off to the perfect start with Luke Wood, who was the hosts' standout bowler with 2-25, striking Evin Lewis on the pads with the day's first delivery, but the tourists quickly steadied the ship. Shai Hope took the fight to England with 49 off 38 balls, while Johnson Charles started patiently before he also fell just short of his half century, with 47 from 39 deliveries. The West Indies innings threatened to stall at that point but a rollicking finish peppered with sixes from Rovman Powell, Romario Shepherd and Jason Holder saw them power to a healthy total, even considering the County Ground's short boundaries. England's Dawson relishing return from international wilderness: Liam Dawson is determined to make the most of his surprise recall to international duty after believing his England career had come to an end. The 35-year-old left-arm spinner had won just 20 caps across all three formats since making his debut in 2016. He appeared surplus to requirements as England selected a succession of other slow bowlers in red and white-ball cricket, many of whom had inferior county records to Hampshire mainstay Dawson. But he produced a reminder of his quality with 4-20 and a player-of-the-match award as England marked Harry Brook's first T20 as captain with a 21-run win over the West Indies at Chester-le-Street on Friday. 'I had got to an age where I probably thought international cricket was gone,' said Dawson after taking his best figures in T20 internationals. 'In my domestic career, I've tried to go out there and just enjoy playing for whoever I'm playing for. It was about going out there and not worrying about playing for England. 'I think that can hamper you sometimes so I've not really worried about that. I'm at an age now where I know that I'm close to finishing.' Brook gave Dawson the new ball in Durham, a sign of his confidence in the bowler, and perhaps a marker for next year's T20 World Cup on turning pitches in India and Sri Lanka. 'Personally, I think he's been knocking on the door for years to try and solidify that spot and the performance we saw from him was awesome,' said Brook of Dawson. 'Him and Adil Rashid working in tandem at both ends is going be good to watch in the coming years. He can also help the younger lads along the way, to have him in the inner circle when they are bowling is going to help us a lot.' The three-match series continues in Bristol on Sunday before finishing at Dawson's home ground in Southampton on Tuesday. Well though he bowled in Durham, Dawson is taking nothing for granted. 'I know how cricket works, you've got to be consistent and it's only one game,' he said. 'So I'll park this and go again. It would be nice to play at my home ground, if selected.' Agencies
Al Etihad
12 hours ago
- Al Etihad
Trump travel ban in effect from today, citizens from 12 nations barred from US
9 June 2025 08:39 Washington (AFP)President Donald Trump's sweeping new travel ban came into effect early on Monday immediately after midnight, barring citizens from a dozen nations from entering the United States and reviving a divisive measure from his first move is expected to disrupt refugee pathways and further restrict immigration as the Trump administration expands its crackdown on illegal of the nations covered by the restrictions have adversarial relations with the United States, such as Iran and Afghanistan, while others face severe crises, like Haiti and announcing his restrictions last week, Trump said the new measure was spurred by a recent "terrorist attack" in Colorado. The group had been protesting in solidarity with hostages held in Gaza when they were assaulted by a man the White House said had overstayed his attack, Trump said, "underscored the extreme dangers posed to our country by the entry of foreign nationals who are not properly vetted" or who overstay their move bans all travel to the United States by nationals of Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, Congo-Brazzaville, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen, according to the White also imposed a partial ban on travelers from Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela. Some temporary work visas from those countries will be countries could be added, Trump warned, "as threats emerge around the world." World Cup, Olympics, diplomats excluded The ban will not apply to athletes competing in the 2026 World Cup, which the United States is co-hosting with Canada and Mexico, or in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, Trump's order will it apply to diplomats from the targeted Nations rights chief Volker Turk warned that "the broad and sweeping nature of the new travel ban raises concerns from the perspective of international law." US Democratic lawmakers and elected officials blasted the ban as draconian and of a new travel ban had circulated following the Colorado attack, with Trump's administration vowing to pursue "terrorists" living in the United States on officials said suspect Mohamed Sabry Soliman, an Egyptian national according to court documents, was in the country illegally having overstayed a tourist visa, but that he had applied for asylum in September 2022. Trump's new travel ban notably does not include Egypt.
Int'l Cricket Council
12 hours ago
- Int'l Cricket Council
Sciver-Brunt sets sight on World Cup after Windies sweep
Having already clinched the ODI series with a 2-0 unassailable lead, England Women put on a clinical display in Taunton to wrap up a 3-0 clean sweep. After winning the toss and opting to field first, the hosts bundled out the Windies for 106/8 in a rain-marred contest that was cut short to 21-overs-a-side. Led by the skipper Nat Sciver-Brunt, who scored a half-century, England wrapped up a comprehensive win, chasing down the target in merely 65 balls with nine wickets in hand. "That's a great way to finish the series. It has rained a few times in Taunton. We wanted to have a bit more opportunity in the middle, but bowling first and the rain didn't help that,' Sciver-Brunt noted on the back of the strong win. The series against the West Indies marked Sciver-Brunt's first since taking charge of England after Heather Knight stepped down from the role back in March. The seasoned all-rounder stated the importance of providing opportunities to all the players and running different combinations ahead of this year's ICC Cricket World Cup in India, starting 30 September. Nat Sciver-Brunt, England's storming all-rounder | ICC 100% Cricket Icons A deeper look at what sets star all-rounder Nat Sciver-Brunt apart as a 100% Cricket Icon through the eyes of Mel Jones, "Looking at different combinations, trying things out. We have to gather information or we won't be able to explore them nearer to the World Cup,' she said. "It's a pleasing thing to see that everyone given an opportunity has put their hand up. 'Some girls have a few days off, then some domestic cricket. We'll be raring to go come India." The eight-team tournament will see England compete against defending champions Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Bangladesh and hosts India. Touted among the favorites, England walk into the competition having finished as runner-ups of the previous edition in 2022. ICC Cricket World Cup, 2025NewsEngland WomenWomen's News
