Saudi Arabia’s goal to have citizens hold half of the tourism jobs by 2028 complements a rapidly expanding tourism sector that is showing strong employment growth amid ongoing reforms. Recent statistics from the first quarter of 2025 reveal that the total number of tourism-related jobs reached 983,253, marking a 4.1% increase year-on-year.

Saudi nationals currently make up 24.8% (243,369) of this workforce, while expatriates account for 75.2%. Men comprise 86.8% of the tourism workforce, but there is steady progress as women now represent 13.2%, signaling strides in gender inclusion within the sector.

The tourism sector’s workforce expansion aligns with Vision 2030’s objective to diversify the economy and create 1.6 million tourism jobs by 2030. Notably, tourism employees constitute 5.4% of Saudi Arabia’s total workforce and 8.1% of the private sector workforce. This is amid a context where hotel occupancy rates have risen to 63% in early 2025, reflecting growing demand and investment in the sector.

However, certain hospitality segments such as serviced apartments have seen some occupancy declines, hinting at ongoing market adjustments.

The Saudi government has enhanced wage subsidies to cover 50% of salaries in 63 tourism-related jobs to make them attractive to nationals and support upskilling. This subsidy, provided through the Human Resources Development Fund and Ministry of Tourism initiatives, applies to diverse roles including tour guides, hotel managers, receptionists, and event coordinators.

The increased financial support, combined with vocational training programs, aims to accelerate Saudization in the tourism labor market.

In addition to financial incentives, government mandates from 2026 will require 41 key tourism roles to be exclusively Saudi-held, including hotel management and travel agency leadership positions. This is part of broader policies restricting outsourcing of tourism jobs to expatriates. The structural reforms also focus on improving the social appeal of tourism jobs by elevating career pathways and integrating women into 50% of the tourism workforce, a milestone achieved in some hubs within the sector.

Saudi Arabia’s tourism sector is also a global growth story, with the travel and tourism contribution to GDP projected to surpass 10% in 2025, making it a cornerstone of economic transformation. International arrivals increased sharply in early 2025, up 48% compared to the previous year, further stimulating employment opportunities and sector expansion.

Despite these promising developments, challenges remain. Recruiting Saudi nationals into service sector roles traditionally filled by expatriates requires a cultural shift, enhanced education and training, and sustained private sector engagement. Retention and job satisfaction are crucial issues as the market adjusts to new localization standards.

The phased localization approach with clear targets (40% by 2026, 45% by 2027, and 50% by 2028) underpinned by government subsidies and regulatory changes is designed to address these challenges methodically.

In summary, Saudi Arabia is making impressive strides toward its 2028 target to localize half the tourism jobs through ambitious policies, growing sector demand, and targeted workforce support. Continued progress will be vital to securing the Kingdom’s position as a global tourism powerhouse and achieving the socio-economic goals of Vision 2030.

The Norwegian Group carried 2.9 million passengers in August 2026, including 2.5 million passengers on Norwegian and 359,000 on Widerøe.

Norwegian increased its capacity by 3% year on year, while passenger traffic climbed 4%. Its load factor improved by 0.4 percentage points to 86.3%. The airline operated an average of 94 aircraft during the month.

Regularity stood at 98.9%, rising to 99.6% when cancellations related to the Avinor air traffic controllers’ strike are excluded. The industrial action disrupted travel for more than 20,000 passengers. Norwegian’s punctuality rate, measured by departures within 15 minutes of schedule, was 80.8%.

Widerøe increased capacity by 2%, while traffic remained unchanged. Its load factor consequently declined by 1.8 percentage points to 75.8%. The regional airline recorded punctuality of 93.3%, an improvement of 1.5 percentage points, while regularity reached 97.4%.

Norwegian said booking activity for the autumn remained strong, particularly around the school holidays. Meanwhile, its Norwegian Reward loyalty programme has surpassed 10 million members and is introducing five new membership tiers.

Source: QCAA

African airlines recorded a 6.4% year-on-year increase in passenger demand in July 2026, according to the latest data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

Capacity across African carriers increased by 9.0% compared with July 2025, while the passenger load factor stood at 74.1%. Domestic revenue passenger kilometres (RPK) in the region rose 0.6% during the month.

Globally, total passenger demand, measured in revenue passenger kilometres, increased just 0.2% from July 2025. Excluding the Middle East, demand grew 1.2%, while available seat kilometres, the industry measure of capacity, increased 0.3%.

The global load factor was 85.2%. International demand declined 0.1% year on year. When the Middle East was excluded, international demand increased 1.5%, with capacity also rising 0.3% and the load factor reaching 85.2%.

Domestic passenger demand worldwide grew 0.6% compared with July 2025, while domestic capacity increased 0.2%. The domestic load factor stood at 85.3%.

Marie Owens Thomsen, IATA’s Senior Vice President Sustainability and Chief Economist, said the peak Northern Hemisphere summer travel season had produced a largely positive result despite weaker performance by carriers in North America and the Middle East.

She also noted that traffic through Gulf aviation hubs was continuing to recover.

Thomsen said airlines remained confident about demand for the final months of the year despite elevated fuel costs, economic uncertainty and geopolitical tensions. Carriers are planning to increase seat capacity by almost 3% in September, she added.

Source: Nigerian Tribune

Global air passenger demand recorded modest growth in July 2026, as strong performances in several regions helped offset declines among carriers in North America and the Middle East, according to the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

Total revenue passenger kilometres (RPK) increased by 0.2% compared with July 2025. Excluding Middle Eastern airlines, global passenger demand rose by 1.2%.

Worldwide capacity, measured in available seat kilometres (ASK), grew by 0.3% year-on-year, while the global passenger load factor slipped by 0.1 percentage points to 85.2%.

International traffic declined by 0.1% compared with the same month last year. However, excluding Middle Eastern carriers, international demand increased by 1.5%.

Domestic passenger demand rose by 0.6%, supported by a 0.2% increase in capacity. The domestic load factor reached 85.3%.

Marie Owens Thomsen, IATA's Senior Vice President Sustainability and Chief Economist, said the peak Northern Hemisphere summer travel season had delivered an overall positive picture for aviation despite challenges in key markets.

“Overall growth of 0.2% in July was achieved despite year-on-year collective declines by carriers in North America and the Middle East,” she said, adding that traffic through Gulf hubs continued to recover.

Thomsen noted that high fuel prices, economic uncertainty and geopolitical tensions remain challenges for the industry. However, airlines remain confident about demand later in the year, with seat capacity expected to expand by almost 3% in September.

European airlines posted demand growth of 3.1%, supported in particular by a 12.1% surge in traffic between Europe and Asia.

Latin American carriers recorded a 7.1% increase in demand, while African airlines reported growth of 6.4%.

Elsewhere, Asia-Pacific demand declined by 0.7%, and North American carriers saw a 2.3% fall. Middle Eastern airlines reported the sharpest decline, with demand down 9.5%, although the pace of the downturn continued to ease.

Domestic traffic rose 0.6% worldwide, with China and Brazil reporting strong growth. In contrast, domestic markets in the United States, Australia and India recorded declines.

Source: ZAWYA

Typhoon Dolphin brought torrential rain to Shanghai on Monday, August 10, 2026, flooding roads and commercial areas and severely disrupting air travel in the city.

The weather system forced Shanghai’s two airports to cancel a combined 943 flights, while their overall passenger capacity was reduced by nearly 40%.

The disruption followed Dolphin’s landfall in Zhejiang province on Sunday evening. The typhoon struck areas south and west of Shanghai with maximum sustained winds of 151 kilometres per hour near its centre.

Dolphin later weakened into a tropical storm, but its remaining rain bands continued to bring heavy precipitation across large parts of eastern China.

Shanghai, the country’s second-most populous city, experienced widespread flooding, including in several major commercial districts.

China Eastern Airlines said it was working to gradually restore flights to Shanghai, Zhejiang and other affected destinations as weather conditions improve.

Source: Asia News Network

Thousands of WestJet cabin crew members began strike action on Aug. 2 after nearly 11 months of contract negotiations failed to result in a new labor agreement, triggering widespread disruptions across the airline's network.

The industrial action involves around 4,400 flight attendants represented by the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Local 8125. The strike officially started after talks between the union and the airline ended without a new collective agreement.

The labor dispute has already forced WestJet to cancel more than 300 flights, affecting travel plans across its domestic and international routes.

Ahead of the strike, the airline had begun grounding portions of its Boeing 737 fleet as a precautionary measure to minimize operational disruption and reduce the risk of leaving passengers and aircraft stranded during the work stoppage.

Source: Aero Time