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Read the latest news from around the Middle East and Africa region.
Corporate Travel Expected To Rise in Middle East
A report from Travel Daily News, citing Global Business Travel Association figures, notes business travel is expected to increase in the Middle East by 32% in 2022.
Business travel to the region increased by 49% in 2021, according to World Travel & Tourism Council figures. African business travel increased 36% last year.
The report notes the increase in business travel in 2021 surprisingly outpaced leisure travel by 13% in the Middle East and 1% in Africa.
Middle East Drawing More Winter Sports Travel
CNBC reports the Middle East is becoming a more regular destination for winter sports including skiing and bobsledding, with travelers headed to resorts filled with artificial snow such as Ski Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. Saudi Arabia is also planning an indoor ski slope in the Mall of Saudi. Other destinations with winter sport travel include Lebanon and Pakistan.
"Turkey too has bountiful snow in the winter months, notably at Mount Erciyes which is part of a larger ski area that totals around 95 miles," the news outlet reports. "The ski center here has the nearby town of Kayseri which has a plenty of top-notch hotels, such as the swanky five-star Radisson Blu."
Jeddah Hotel Performance Comes Down from Grand Prix High
Performance for hotels in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, were down month-over-month in January, according to preliminary data from CoStar's hospitality analytics firm STR, but the dip is due to the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix taking place in December.
For the month of January, the market recorded occupancy of 46.2%, average daily rate of 569.38 Saudi riyals ($151.83) and revenue per available room of 263.05 riyals. STR analysts said those figures are "in line with recent months" other than December.
Saudi Government Requires Boosters for Outbound International Travelers
As of Feb. 9, the government of Saudi Arabia requires citizens looking to travel outside the country's borders to receive a COVID-19 booster shot, Reuters reports.
The new rules also require visitors to the country to show a negative PCR test before entry.