LONDON: The ancient Saudi city of AlUla is rapidly becoming one of the Kingdom’s top destinations for local and international travelers, officials say, but mass tourism is not their top priority.
“We are growing, and we are growing very fast (but) part of our mission is to respond to sustainable and responsible tourism,” Rami Al-Moallim, vice president of the destination management and marketing office at Royal Commission for AlUla, told Arab News. “We are not yet open for mass tourism, and it is not the focus.
“We need people to experience AlUla, to feel AlUla, to enjoy AlUla, to have unforgettable memories in AlUla, so we’re growing responsibly.”
In terms of targets, he said the aim this year was to attract 250,000 visitors, which is already being achieved, and 292,000 next year.
“We believe this steady growth will be reached very soon (and) we are (targeting) around 1.2 million visitors by 2030,” Al-Moallim said. “We are growing steadily year over year (and providing) very good experiences for people to enjoy.”
The commission took part in the World Travel Market in London last week. It was the second time it has participated in the annual event under the banner of the Saudi Tourism Authority but the first in which it had a separate booth within the Kingdom’s pavilion.
According to Al-Moallim, the decision to expand its presence at the event this year was made because of the growing interest in AlUla in the international travel market, its increased tourism capacities, higher direct investments from travel partners, including hotel operators and activity providers, and greater numbers of partners who want to showcase what they offer.
The commission’s booth, which was larger than the entire presence of some countries at the event, showcased eight partners in particular, including hotel companies; Live Nation, which manages the Maraya concert hall; and tours and tourism operators Hero Adventure Experiences, Pangea Club and Warrior for Adventures.
The main established hospitality partners in AlUla, which is in Madinah province, currently include Habitas, Banyan Tree, Shaden and Cloud7, Al-Moallim said, but in London the commission also showcased new collaborators, including Dar Tantoura, an eco-friendly boutique hotel with 30 rooms. As plans for hospitality and accommodation in AlUla continue to expand, more will follow soon, he added.
“Dar Tantora will be followed by Hegra Heritage Boutique Hotel, which is another 30-room hotel, in Hegra, then Autograph Collection is also coming in 2025, followed by Six Senses in 2026,” Al-Moallim said.
“In addition to that, Cloud7 is (working on) an expansion currently to double the room capacity by this year-end.”
From an environmental perspective, the four pillars of sustainability — social, human, economic and environmental — are at the heart of the commission’s operations, he added, and it has adopted several initiatives under the banner of the Saudi Green Initiative.
“The newest project that we have, which is the Experiential Tram, is a low-carbon-emission tramway (covering a distance) of 22 kilometers,” Al-Moallim said. “It has 17 stations, so it takes you from the north to the south of AlUla, visiting the whole Journey Through Time master plan.”
On the social and economic fronts, he added, the Madrasat Addeera initiative offers workshops on handicrafts, art and education, with the aim of preserving and reviving local culture, heritage and traditions.
“Looking at the numbers and the key source markets, of course (Saudi Arabia) and the GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) markets are the key for us” he said, adding that 72 percent of tourists who visited only AlUla in the Kingdom in 2022 came from these areas.
The rest of the world therefore accounted for 28 percent of visitors last year, with 11 percent from Europe alone, Al-Moallim said. The UK was a major source market, followed by France, Italy and Germany. Places outside of Europe, including the US and China, were lower on the list.
Antony Doucet, chief experience officer at Kerten Hospitality, participated in the World Travel Market, where he represented AlUla’s Dar Tantora House Hotel and the Cloud7 Residence. The latter opened in December last year and is set to increase its capacity to 300 rooms, which will make it the largest hotel in AlUla, while the former is set to open on Jan. 15, with 30 keys, he said.
“We don’t like to call (Dar Tantora) a hotel, rather a ‘hospitality experience’ because we’re inviting people to slow down and go back through different times of AlUla,” he said.
It will have a community and cultural manager, Doucet said, who can suggest activities inside and outside the hotel for visitors during their stay, culinary experiences that offer a chance to try traditional Saudi cuisine with a modern twist, and a spa that explores Arabian beauty secrets using natural ingredients from the area, including Peregrina oil.
“It’s also a very personalized and custom-made experience,” he added, as guest will be contacted a week before arrival to help staff better understand the purposes of their stay, their personalities, and their tastes in music and literature.
“It’s also important to note that we have limited electricity,” said Doucet. “We will have only two electric plugs per room, no air conditioning but natural ventilation, and we will be, I think, the first hotel to have drinkable water from the tap,” which will be purified on site.
This reflects the hotel’s commitment to sustainable tourism in AlUla and to the protection of the UNESCO World Heritage Site, he added.
Art will also play an important role at Dar Tantora, where a unique art collection, including bespoke pieces currently being created, will be on display. In addition, it will offer about 10 retail spaces.
Husaak Adventures was one of the tour operators promoting its activities in AlUla during the event in London where, for a second year, it was part of the Kingdom’s pavilion.
The company is an “activator” that works with the Royal Commission and other Saudi government entities to create a range of experiences and services, said Nikki McDonnell, its director of sales and marketing. These include hiking and mountain-biking trails, “glamping” resorts, visitor centers, accommodation solutions, stargazing events, and other adventures and cultural experiences designed to appeal to local and international visitors.
The Saudi-registered business was founded about 10 years ago when there were relatively few tourists or any significant adventure-tourism sector in the region, she said, but now the Kingdom has become a “pioneer” in the field, and the growth and “development they have had in the last couple of years is amazing, and there’s so much opportunity to develop further jewels of Saudi Arabia.”
She added: “We have since developed, and now we offer, over 14 different daily experiences for visitors, as well as the glamping and accommodation solutions that offer affordable accommodation within what is known as a luxury destination.”
AlUla has incredible history, McDonnell said, and one of its key tourist attractions is the ancient Incense Road in Hegra, also known as Mada’in Saleh.
“There’s a big misconception that Saudi Arabia is very hot and it’s only a seasonal destination — it’s not,” she said. The climate and landscape are so diverse that travelers can visit all year round to explore the country’s “rich heritage,” she added.
McDonnell said part of Husaak’s focus is on increasing consumer awareness of AlUla, so while it works with other destination-management and travel companies to package its experiences and programs for visitors, it also carries out a lot of digital marketing in its own right.
“We are on Tripadvisor, our glamping is on Booking.com, we invest in Google heavily to target visitors before they come into the country, (we are) on social media to drive our traffic, and we also advertise annually with National Geographic,” she said.
“Can we develop more experiences, more unforgettable experiences? Yes, and that’s our goal as a company, just to continue to drive and build those experiences and build a legacy for visitors.”
Imad Sulaiman, the general manager of Athaar Arabia, a pioneering destination-management company in the Kingdom, said: “Despite the COVID years, Saudi Arabia is an amazing destination, and with Vision 2030 announcing the (introduction of the) tourist visa, (the country) has strongly found its way onto the tourist map around the world, so this has been a very good achievement over the past three years.
“We are lucky because everybody is talking about Saudi Arabia; the gigaprojects, sports activities and other huge efforts which the Saudi Tourism Authority is doing with other stakeholders … to show Saudi Arabia to the world. They went beyond our expectations.”
Tourism Minister Ahmed Al-Khateeb announced at the Future Investment Initiative forum in Riyadh this month an increased target of attracting 150 million tourists a year by 2030. Sulaiman said it is a target that can “be achieved because Saudi Arabia is a new destination to travelers” and is attracting a lot of interest due to the massive development projects that are helping to support businesses in the tourism sector.
“I call Saudi Arabia a hidden jewel because it’s not shown to the world,” he said, but now “we have a huge demand from different tour operators requesting different types of business or traveler packages to their clients,” from high-end experiences to adventure holidays.
Thanks to the “good news” about the Kingdom’s potential and in-progress bids to host World Expo 2030, the 2034 FIFA World Cup and the Winter Olympics, together with the major sporting events it already hosts, including Formula One and Formula E, “all these projects give us big power to work hard to be able to achieve this target,” Sulaiman said.
He added that he is “proud of all these things” because he worked in the sector in the days before Vision 2030, and all the developments that have followed since it was announced in 2016 have been “beyond our expectation — it’s amazing.”
Ancient Saudi city of AlUla focusing on sustainability not mass tourism, officials say
https://arab.news/pnkcm
Ancient Saudi city of AlUla focusing on sustainability not mass tourism, officials say

- The UNESCO World Heritage Site is becoming one of the Kingdom’s top tourist destinations but a top Royal Commission for AlUla official tells Arab News ‘We’re growing responsibly’
- The commission took part in the World Travel Market in London last week where, for the first time, it had its own booth within the Kingdom’s pavilion at the event
Saudi Aramco lowers July oil prices for Asian markets

RIYADH: Saudi Aramco has slashed its official selling price for crude oil destined for Asia in July, the company confirmed in an official statement on Wednesday.
The state-owned oil giant cut the price of its benchmark Arab Light crude by $0.20, setting it at $1.20 per barrel above the average of Oman and Dubai crude prices.
Saudi Aramco prices its crude oil across five density-based grades: Super Light (greater than 40), Arab Extra Light (36-40), Arab Light (32-36), Arab Medium (29-32), and Arab Heavy (below 29).
The company’s monthly pricing decisions impact the cost of around 9 million barrels per day of crude exported to Asia and serve as a pricing benchmark for other major regional producers, including Iran, Kuwait, and Iraq.
In the North American market, Aramco set the July OSP for Arab Light at $3.50 per barrel above the Argus Sour Crude Index.
Aramco determines its OSPs based on market feedback from refiners and an evaluation of crude oil value changes over the past month, taking into account yields and product prices.
Plans by OPEC+ producers to increase output by 411,000 barrels per day in July are also weighing on the market.
Yet, there was some support as wildfires reduced Canada’s production by some 344,000 bpd, according to Reuters calculations.
PIF-backed Lucid inks graphite supply deal to bolster US EV battery material sourcing

RIYADH: Lucid Group, the electric vehicle manufacturer backed by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, has signed a multiyear supply agreement with Graphite One to source natural graphite from the US.
The move is aimed at reinforcing the company’s domestic supply chain for battery production. The agreement aligns with Lucid’s broader strategy to secure critical raw materials domestically.
It follows similar deals with Graphite One and Syrah Resources as the company ramps up efforts to localize its EV production ecosystem.
According to the terms, the graphite will be supplied through Lucid’s battery cell partners for use in upcoming vehicle models.
Lucid is majority-owned by PIF, which holds a 60 percent stake, amounting to 1.77 billion shares. The partnership underscores the sovereign fund’s long-term commitment to advancing electric mobility as part of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030.
In September 2023, Lucid opened its first international manufacturing facility in King Abdullah Economic City. The plant currently produces 5,000 vehicles per year, with plans to scale up to 155,000 units annually. The expansion is expected to support Saudi Arabia’s ambitions to diversify its economy and become a regional hub for electric vehicle manufacturing.
“A supply chain of critical materials within the United States drives our nation’s economy, increases our independence against outside factors or market dynamics, and supports our efforts to reduce the carbon footprint of our vehicles,” said Marc Winterhoff, interim CEO at Lucid.
Under the latest deal, Lucid and its battery suppliers will begin receiving natural graphite from Graphite Creek, a deposit located near Nome, Alaska, starting in 2028. This builds on a prior agreement signed in 2024, in which Graphite One will provide synthetic graphite from its proposed anode materials facility in Warren, Ohio — also set to begin production in 2028.
“This agreement complements the deal we struck with Lucid in 2024 — which marked the first synthetic graphite agreement between a US graphite developer and a US EV company,” said Anthony Huston, CEO of Graphite One.
He added: “We made history then — and we’re continuing to make history now as we build momentum for our efforts to develop a fully domestic graphite supply chain, to meet market demands and strengthen US industry and national defense.”
Lucid is also expected to receive natural graphite active anode material from Syrah Resources starting in 2026, as part of its ongoing diversification of supply sources.
In a further boost to its financial position, Lucid closed a $1.1 billion offering of convertible senior notes in April, due in 2030. The announcement came shortly after the company reported first-quarter deliveries of 3,109 vehicles — a 58 percent increase year on year.
Closing Bell: Saudi main index closes in green before Eid holidays

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Tadawul All Share Index climbed on Wednesday, gaining 172.1 points, or 1.59 percent, to close at 11,004.53.
The total trading turnover on the benchmark index was SR4.61 billion ($1.23 billion), with 191 listed stocks advancing and 50 declining.
The Kingdom’s parallel market Nomu surged by 257.9 points to close at 27,307.74.
Meanwhile, the MSCI Tadawul Index edged up by 1.67 percent to 1,406.49.
The best-performing stock on the main market was Saudi Industrial Investment Group, with its share price surging 7.03 percent to SR17.36.
The share price of ACWA Power Co. also rose by 6.72 percent to SR269.80.
Al-Babtain Power and Telecommunication Co. saw its stock price increase by 5.40 percent to SR5.40.
Conversely, the share price of Saudi Steel Pipe Co. fell by 6.33 percent to SR56.20.
Saudi Research and Media Group also saw a dip, with its share price easing 2.26 percent to SR127.
On the announcements front, Saudi National Bank completed its offer of Saudi riyal-denominated Additional Tier 1 sukuk, with the settlement finalized on June 3.
According to a statement on the Saudi Exchange dated May 11, the issuance was conducted through a private offer to eligible investors in the Kingdom. The total value of the sukuk offering amounted to SR1.73 billion.
The bank issued 1,730 sukuk, each with a par value of SR1 million. The sukuk will offer an annual return of 6 percent from the issue date until June 3, 2030.
The share price of Saudi National Bank increased by 0.88 percent to close at SR34.45.
The announcement coincided with the implementation of the unified regulation for cross-border registration of investment funds among Gulf Cooperation Council countries, which came into effect in 2025, according to the Capital Market Authority.
The regulation outlines requirements for registering and marketing investment funds across GCC countries and introduces a dedicated regulatory guide.
It aims to clarify procedures for handling both local and Gulf-based funds, enhance financial market services, and reduce regulatory challenges.
Additionally, the framework seeks to support mechanisms that attract international investments to the Saudi financial market and boost foreign ownership in investment funds.
The broader goal is to improve liquidity in regional financial markets, enhance the competitiveness of GCC economies, and foster integration by unifying the policies and systems governing domestic, regional, and foreign investment activities.
The regulation also aims to ensure a transparent and stable investment environment.
Under the framework, the legislative committee in each host country will have the authority to set standards for approving fund registrations and supervising funds within its jurisdiction, including overseeing the appointed agent and their interactions with investors.
Cross-border registration must be conducted through the capital market authorities of both the fund’s country of origin and the host country.
The regulation allows investment funds established in any GCC member state to be promoted in other countries applying the framework.
It also outlines the process for offering Saudi funds in Gulf markets, with a focus on aligning with regulatory review mechanisms and cross-border registration requirements to ensure full compliance with approved guidelines.
Saudi POS spending hits $4bn pre-Adha, fueled by increased spending across all sectors

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s point-of-sale transactions climbed 33 percent to SR15.5 billion ($4.15 billion) in the week preceding Eid Al-Adha, driven by increased spending across all sectors.
The latest data from the Saudi Central Bank, also known as SAMA, showed that the clothing and footwear sector led the growth seen in the week ending May 31, registering the largest jump in transaction value, up 72.7 percent to SR1.2 billion.
The sector also saw a 61.6 percent rise in the number of transactions, reaching 8.6 million.
The education sector followed, recording a 61.6 percent increase in transaction value to SR242.1 million. Telecommunication spending ranked next, rising 44.5 percent to SR136.2 million, with transactions up 19.9 percent to 2.1 million.
Food and beverages — the sector with the biggest share of total POS value — recorded a 34.2 percent increase to SR2.2 billion.
Transportation spending rose 29.7 percent to SR898.8 million, while restaurants and cafes saw a 24.3 percent increase, totaling SR2 billion and claiming the second-biggest share of this week’s POS.
The smallest spending gains were in hotels, rising by 9 percent to SR207.5 million, and construction and building materials, which increased by 12.9 percent to SR267.6 million.
Health outlays rose by 28.4 percent to reach SR952.8 million, while the public utilities sector increased by 29.1 percent to SR55.3 million.
Spending on electronics followed the trend, rising 23.1 percent to SR187.2 million, and recreation and culture edged up 42.5 percent to SR324.3 million.
Miscellaneous goods and services claimed the third-largest share of total transactions value, with an uptick of 34.4 percent to SR1.9 billion.
The top three categories — food and beverages, miscellaneous goods and services, and clothing and footwear — accounted for 39.9 percent of the week’s total spending, amounting to SR6.2 billion.
Geographically, Riyadh dominated POS transaction value, with expenses in the capital reaching SR5.4 billion, a 42.7 percent increase from the previous week.
Jeddah followed with a 27.7 percent rise to SR2.1 billion, while Dammam ranked third, up 25.1 percent to SR776.5 million.
Hail saw the biggest weekly increase in transaction value, inching up 52.6 percent to SR262.6 million, followed by Tabuk with a 51.3 percent uptick to SR323.6 million.
Hail recorded 4.3 million deals in transaction volume, up 24.7 percent, while Tabuk reached 5.2 million transactions, rising 21.1 percent.
Hong Kong-based Gaw Capital plans to step up Middle East investments

- Gaw Capital targets UAE, Saudi Arabia for investments
- Firm plans separate investment vehicle for Middle East
HONG KONG: Gaw Capital plans to bolster investments in the Middle East, its top executive said, as the Hong Kong-based multi-asset investment manager looks to tap into the post-COVID boom in the region’s real estate and other industrial sectors.
Christina Gaw, Gaw’s managing principal and global head of capital markets, said the firm is looking at real estate and other businesses in the UAE and Saudi Arabia as their population has a large demand for real assets.
Gaw acquired a residential building in Abu Dhabi in May for more than $150 million, and signed a pact in November with Expo City Dubai and Lingang Group to explore creating the Expo Life Science Park in Dubai.
The firm, which had $34.4 billion of assets under management as of the end of 2024, expects to close another deal in the region in the second half of the year, said Gaw, whose two elder brothers founded the company in 2005.
Gaw’s interest in the Middle East comes against the backdrop of a post-pandemic property boom there, fueled by business demand and foreign investment.
“(The Middle East) is very wealthy, what can you bring to them? It’s the expertise ... they want to attract talents and different businesses,” Gaw said in an interview. “And we have tenants and business who want to expand there, so we act as a bridge ... to provide them funding and local connections.”
The firm plans to set up a separate vehicle to build an investment track record in the Middle East first before using its main funds in the future.
Gaw, whose main focus has been Greater China and in recent years in Japan and Australia, is also raising a $2 billion fund for private equity and private credit opportunities in Asia Pacific.
The fund is receiving interest from Middle Eastern and Asian investors, as well as in North America, who are looking to diversify amid changing geopolitics.
“Currently the US has many uncertainties. Investors who have been overweighting the US and have done well for many years now may say, ‘I need a little level play’,” Gaw said.
“Asia, on the other hand, has underperformed in the past five years, creating relative value, and people feel they need a repositioning and add some positions in Asia.”
Besides the Middle East, Gaw this year also made investments including more than $1 billion in the Tokyu Plaza Ginza mall in Tokyo with a joint venture partner, and a 45 percent stake in Agility Asset Advisers, a real estate manager in Japan.
In its home market, Gaw said that the firm was focusing on a private credit business linked to upper-middle class residential projects, and was in talks with developers with liquidity needs as well as banks that are selling their non-performing loans.