Diriyah Company participated once again in ILTM Asia Pacific 2025, showcasing its premier luxury hospitality offerings for the business and tourism sectors. This year’s ILTM Asia Pacific took place from June 30 to July 3 in Singapore.

Throughout the event, Diriyah Company welcomed and engaged with stakeholders, investors, and travel specialists at its distinctively designed booth.

Across Diriyah and the adjoining Wadi Safar development areas, nearly 40 world-class hotels and resorts are set to welcome tourists and business visitors, including some of Southeast Asia’s most prestigious hospitality names: Anantara, Aman, Capella, Chedi, Raffles, Four Seasons, and Six Senses.

In addition to the 202-room Raffles Hotel Diriyah, which features distinctive architectural designs inspired by Najdi heritage, Diriyah also launched the Raffles Residences Diriyah in November 2024, offering 90 apartments and townhouses, primarily featuring one-, two-, or three-bedroom residences, as well as seven spacious duplex homes. Additionally, the arrival of Capella Diriyah, with its 100 rooms, marks the brand’s first opening in Saudi Arabia, blending local tradition with contemporary luxury.

As the birthplace of Saudi Arabia three centuries ago, Diriyah is home to the beautifully restored At-Turaif UNESCO World Heritage Site, which has welcomed more than 3 million visitors since its opening in December 2022.

Diriyah Company’s participation in ILTM Asia Pacific highlighted its commitment to building new relationships and partnerships that will support its growing portfolio of hotels, restaurants, cafes, and cultural attractions that are designed to elevate Diriyah’s position within the global luxury tourism landscape.

Known as the City of Earth for its traditional mudbrick-inspired Najdi architecture, Diriyah will contribute approximately SR70 billion ($18.6 billion) directly to the Kingdom’s GDP, create nearly 180,000 jobs and will be home to an estimated 100,000 people. It will also include modern office space for tens of thousands of professionals in technology, media, the arts and education, museums, a university, the Royal Diriyah Opera House, the Diriyah arena, world-class hotels, renowned local, global and regional restaurants, a Greg Norman designed championship golf course and the Royal Equestrian and Polo Club — Wadi Safar.

Diriyah is projected to attract up to 50 million visits annually in the future.

ILTM Asia Pacific is a premier event for luxury travel professionals targeting the expanding market beyond China. It offers curated meetings with top travel designers and hospitality brands.

Savola Group, a strategic investment holding company in the food and retail sectors across the MENA region, has announced a leadership transition to further progress the group’s strategic transformation.

The board of directors accepted the resignation of Waleed Khalid Fatani from his position as CEO of Savola Group. The move is in line with the group’s strategic transformational direction that focuses on the food sector, following a successful tenure marked by major milestones. These include the launch of a SR6 billion ($1.6 billion) rights issue to strengthen the group’s capital position, as well as the distribution of Savola’s entire stake in Almarai to its shareholders.

Meanwhile, Sameh Mahmoud Hassan has been named the new Savola Group CEO based on the recommendation of the Remuneration and Nomination Committee. Hassan currently holds the position of the CEO of Savola Foods Company (a wholly owned subsidiary of Savola Group) since December 2018. He is a seasoned executive in the FMCG and food industries. He will continue to lead Savola Foods in addition to being group CEO.

This leadership change reflects the group’s continued evolution, with Savola Foods at the center of its future growth ambitions.

Sulaiman A.K. Al-Muhaidib, chairman of Savola Group, said: “The appointment of Sameh Hassan marks a new phase in Savola’s journey as we focus our efforts on building a scaled and integrated food platform with regional and global ambitions. On behalf of the board, I thank Fatani for his leadership and contributions. With Hassan at the helm, Savola is well-positioned to accelerate its growth in the food sector while continuing to manage its broader portfolio in a value-maximizing manner.”

Fatani said: “It has been a privilege to lead Savola during this transformative period.” 

I am proud of what we have accomplished together — from the execution of value-enhancing transactions to laying the foundation for the future with Savola Foods at the center of its future growth ambitions. I am confident that Sameh Hassan will continue this momentum and take the group to even greater heights.”

Incoming CEO Hassan said: “It is an honor to take on the role of group CEO at this pivotal time. We will continue to build on Savola’s heritage and strengths, driving sustainable growth in our food platform. I look forward to working closely with the board and our teams to execute this next chapter of our strategy.”