Red Sea Global has officially opened the first resort at its AMAALA development, marking the launch of operations at the Kingdom’s flagship luxury wellness destination on the northwestern coast of the Red Sea.

The milestone was celebrated with the inauguration of Four Seasons Resort and Residences AMAALA in Triple Bay, the second major destination delivered by Red Sea Global and a key step in Saudi Arabia’s strategy to strengthen its position in the global luxury tourism market.

John Pagano, Group Chief Executive Officer of Red Sea Global, described the opening as a significant achievement for the project and a realization of the company’s long-term vision. He said the development demonstrates how regenerative tourism can support economic growth while delivering environmental and social benefits. Pagano added that the company is preparing to welcome its first guests and continue expanding the destination with additional resorts in the coming months.

The opening signals AMAALA’s transition from the construction phase to full-scale operations. The destination has been designed around wellness, wellbeing, and transformative travel experiences, with a focus on holistic health and luxury hospitality.

Once fully developed, Triple Bay is expected to offer more than 1,600 hotel rooms across nine luxury resorts. The area will also feature a waterfront district with high-end retail outlets, fine dining venues, and attractions including the AMAALA Yacht Club and the Corallium Marine Life Institute.

As the first operational property within the destination, Four Seasons Resort and Residences AMAALA combines luxury accommodation with sustainability-focused infrastructure. Designed by U+A, the resort operates entirely on renewable energy and incorporates advanced waste-management systems aligned with a zero-waste approach aimed at minimizing environmental impact and supporting local ecosystem conservation.

The resort includes 202 guestrooms, suites, villas, and garden residences overlooking the Red Sea. It also offers 26 branded private residences ranging from 552 square meters to more than 1,000 square meters, each featuring a private swimming pool.

Wellness facilities include the 2,095-square-meter Helia Wellness and Spa Center and a 511-square-meter fitness facility equipped with modern training technology. Guests can participate in specialist-led wellness programs that include sound therapy and yoga sessions along the shoreline.

Dining is available across six venues, including MAA Social, which focuses on Middle Eastern coastal cuisine, and ROKA, situated beside a private bay. Family-oriented amenities include five swimming pools, a 900-meter private beach, the Kids For All Seasons program, and a dedicated technology-focused club for teenagers.

For corporate and social events, the resort provides more than 1,000 square meters of adaptable event space suitable for executive meetings, luxury weddings, international conferences, and high-profile summits.

Visitors will also have access to wider experiences across Triple Bay, including guided visits to the Corallium Marine Life Institute, designed by Foster + Partners, as well as the AMAALA Yacht Club and Marina Village, home to a curated collection of luxury retail and dining establishments.

The Four Seasons Resort and Residences AMAALA is the first of nine resorts scheduled to begin welcoming guests at the destination this year, as Red Sea Global continues its plans to reshape the future of luxury and wellness tourism.

Source: SAUDI PRESS AGENCY

Saudi Arabia has unveiled a new Package Visa pilot programme designed to make travel to the Kingdom easier by allowing eligible visitors to secure a tourist visa through approved travel and tourism service providers as part of a bundled travel package.

The initiative is a joint effort involving the Ministry of Tourism, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Interior, and the Insurance Authority. It forms part of the Kingdom's broader strategy to streamline entry procedures and enhance the visitor experience.

The Package Visa expands on earlier visa reforms, including the tourist e-Visa, visa on arrival, and Stopover Transit Visa. Together, these measures helped Saudi Arabia attract more than 29 million international visitors in 2025.

Saudi Minister of Tourism Ahmed Al-Khateeb said the programme demonstrates the Kingdom's commitment to making travel more convenient and accessible while strengthening partnerships across the tourism industry.

He said the new initiative enables travel providers to offer a more seamless visitor experience by combining visa processing with travel services, reflecting Saudi Arabia's continued focus on innovation and tourism growth.

During the pilot phase, eligible travellers can book complete travel packages through qualified providers, with each package including round-trip flights, accommodation at licensed hotels and the electronic tourist visa application. Providers may also add attractions, events and tourism experiences to create more comprehensive itineraries.

According to the Ministry of Tourism, the programme is expected to reduce administrative procedures for visitors while helping travel companies develop higher-value packages that encourage longer stays and increased tourism spending.

Participation in the pilot is limited to travel providers that meet strict operational standards, including offering digital booking platforms, round-the-clock technical support and dedicated customer service.

The launch comes as Saudi Arabia continues to record strong tourism growth. The Ministry of Tourism's 2025 Annual Statistical Report showed the Kingdom welcomed approximately 123 million domestic and international tourists last year, representing a 6% increase compared with 2024.

Tourism spending reached a record SR304 billion, up 7% year-on-year, while the sector accounted for 4.9% of Saudi Arabia's GDP in 2024, with its contribution continuing to expand in 2025.

The report also revealed that 29.3 million international visitors generated SR176.6 billion in inbound tourism spending, while 93.3 million domestic travellers spent SR127.1 billion. Non-religious travel represented around 52% of inbound overnight visits in 2025, compared with 44% in 2019.

Employment across Saudi Arabia's tourism sector reached nearly 1.03 million jobs in 2025. Women accounted for approximately 47% of Saudi nationals employed in tourism-related activities, a significant rise from 5% at the end of 2018.

Source: Saudi Gazette

The King Salman Global Academy for Arabic Language has introduced a two-month communicative Arabic language programme for non-Arabic-speaking cabin crew employed by Saudia, marking another step in efforts to strengthen Arabic language proficiency in professional settings.

The initiative follows a cooperation agreement between the academy and the national airline aimed at improving workplace language skills. The course focuses on practical communication, enabling participants to use Arabic confidently in day-to-day operational situations while enhancing interactions with passengers and supporting efficient service delivery.

According to the academy, the programme forms part of its broader portfolio of specialised language initiatives developed in collaboration with organisations across multiple sectors. These programmes are designed to promote Arabic language learning and encourage its wider application in professional and institutional environments.

Earlier this month, the academy also participated in Saudi Arabia's pavilion at the Kuala Lumpur International Book Fair, where it highlighted a range of projects aimed at expanding the global reach of the Arabic language.

Visitors to the pavilion were introduced to the academy's Arabic language courses for non-native speakers, language qualification programmes, and ongoing work to advance Arabic digital content and computational language processing technologies.

Source: ARAB NEWS

The Saudi Culture Pavilion at Al-Tayebat International City of Science and Knowledge Museum in Jeddah is offering visitors an immersive journey through the Kingdom's cultural heritage, highlighting the traditions, craftsmanship and regional identities reflected in Saudi Arabia's historic attire.

Recognized as one of the country's leading cultural and educational attractions, the pavilion presents an extensive collection of traditional garments that illustrate the distinctive clothing styles developed across Saudi Arabia's regions over generations.

The museum complex consists of 12 heritage buildings constructed in the traditional Hijazi architectural style and houses more than 365 exhibition halls. A significant portion of its galleries is dedicated to showcasing regional costumes, textiles and handcrafted items, combining carefully preserved artifacts with detailed historical interpretation.

Exhibits guide visitors across the Kingdom's diverse cultural landscape, featuring clothing and accessories unique to each region.

The western and Hijazi section displays women's garments such as the zaboun, maharem headscarves and mudawwara, alongside men's daqla, sidiriyah waistcoat and Hijazi turban. The collection is presented against traditional carved wooden rawasheen, a defining feature of Jeddah's historic architecture.

The central and eastern regions are represented through elegant Al-Ahsa bishts woven with gold zari thread, as well as intricately embroidered jalabiyas that reflect the area's long-standing textile traditions.

In the southern gallery, brightly colored mijnab garments and shirts decorated with vibrant cane-thread embroidery are exhibited alongside aromatic floral garlands and traditional silver jewelry, highlighting the region's distinctive artistic heritage.

The northern collection features the mhawthal and heavy abayas designed to withstand the harsh desert climate, illustrating how clothing evolved to meet local environmental conditions.

Youssef Mohammed Kiki, the museum's general supervisor, said the garments serve as valuable historical records, documenting the lifestyles, occupations and environmental conditions of communities across different regions of Saudi Arabia.

He added that by preserving these rare collections, the museum aims to strengthen younger generations' appreciation of the Kingdom's cultural heritage while offering visitors a deeper understanding of its diverse traditions.

Source: ARAB NEWS

Saudi Arabia has introduced temporary travel restrictions affecting three African countries in response to the ongoing Ebola outbreak, implementing a series of precautionary public health measures aimed at preventing the virus from entering the Kingdom.

The Kingdom's Public Health Authority (Weqaya) announced on Thursday that travelers arriving directly from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Uganda and South Sudan will be prohibited from entering Saudi Arabia until further notice, according to the Saudi Press Agency.

In addition, Saudi authorities have suspended the issuance of all entry visas for individuals who have been present in any of the three affected countries during the 21 days preceding their arrival in Saudi Arabia, even if they travel through a third country.

Health authorities have also strengthened screening procedures for passengers arriving from Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania and the Republic of the Congo (Congo-Brazzaville). Travelers from these countries will undergo health assessments at border entry points and be subject to enhanced disease surveillance measures.

Weqaya said Saudi Arabia has not recorded any Ebola infections since 2019.

According to the World Health Organization, Ebola was first identified in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 1976 and has an average case fatality rate of about 50 percent. The virus has claimed approximately 15,000 lives since its discovery.

Separately, French health authorities confirmed on Wednesday the country's first Ebola case after a doctor contracted the virus while serving on a humanitarian mission in the DRC. The physician has since been admitted to a specialized quarantine facility for treatment and monitoring.

Source: ARAB NEWS

The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah has taken action against 21 Umrah service providers, suspending them from offering services to pilgrims after identifying performance deficiencies and regulatory violations.

According to the ministry, the decision is based on evaluations conducted during the previous Umrah season, which highlighted a noticeable decline in service quality among several operators, along with breaches of established regulations governing the sector.

Of the companies affected, 15 were suspended due to low performance scores under the ministry’s approved assessment framework, while six others were penalized for violations that required formal corrective measures.

Officials said the move forms part of early preparations for the upcoming Umrah season and reflects ongoing efforts to ensure that pilgrims receive consistently high standards of service.

The ministry explained that its evaluation system relies on a set of operational and supervisory indicators designed to measure compliance and service quality. These mechanisms are intended to strengthen competition among service providers, raise industry standards, and support the broader objectives of Saudi Vision 2030, which includes enhancing the experience of pilgrims visiting the Kingdom and the Prophet’s Mosque.

Reaffirming its regulatory stance, the ministry emphasized that it maintains a zero-tolerance approach toward any shortcomings that could affect service quality or the rights of pilgrims. It added that continuous monitoring and evaluation of Umrah companies remain central to improving the sector and ensuring sustained service development.