UAE Travel Agencies Report Delays in Payments From Saudi Clients
The Saudi-UAE rift is reaching travel through the banking rails first. The thing to watch is whether it reaches demand next.
Deepthi Nair is Skift’s Middle East Reporter, covering aviation, hospitality, tourism policy, and travel trends across the Gulf and wider region. Based in Dubai, she reports on how the region is reshaping global travel — from airline expansion and visa shifts to mega tourism projects. She regularly interviews top industry executives and government leaders. Outside of work, Deepthi is usually planning her next trip.
Oman and Africa Became Minor Hotels’ Safe Havens During the Iran War
Minor Hotels didn’t wait out the Iran war in the Gulf. It grew in Oman and Africa instead.
Minor Hotels Takes Over Sharjah’s Retreat Portfolio In Push for International Visitors
Sharjah’s investment arm is betting that global distribution can do for seven retreats what domestic staycation demand already does reliably.
Private Capital Is Moving Into Saudi Tourism — Their Bets Look Very Different
The PIF is stepping back from direct tourism investment, and private capital is racing into the vacuum — but no two entrants agree on which segment actually has room to grow.
UAE Bets on Discounts, Insurance, and New Visa Markets to Refill Hotel Rooms After Iran War Hit
The UAE is running two recovery tracks at once — emergency incentives to plug a war-driven demand hole and multibillion-dollar infrastructure bets. The gap between those timelines is the story.
Dubai’s Rove Hotels Targets Saudi Arabia’s Mid-Scale Gap Before the Events Crunch Hits
Mid-scale supply in Saudi Arabia is structurally short, and the events pipeline — Expo 2030, the 2034 World Cup — will make that shortage acute. Rove is moving early, but it won’t be the only brand doing the math.
AlUla Is Tripling Its Hotel Rooms to Chase 1 Million Visitors by 2030
The destination has a real demand story. The question is whether the room pipeline can keep pace.
UK and Australia Lift Gulf Travel Warnings, But European Airlines Await Clearance
Gulf travel advisories are moving. War-risk insurance authorization isn’t — and that’s the constraint that controls when European airlines come back.
Egypt Emerges as the Winner in the Middle East’s Travel Shake-Up
The Iran war hasn’t destroyed Middle East travel demand — it has reshuffled it. Egypt is picking up what the Gulf is losing.
Dubai Took a Hit — IHG Is Betting on Egypt, Saudi, and a Q4 Recovery
IHG’s Middle East hotels are filling up with GCC and Indian travelers, but the European market hasn’t come back.