EDITOR'S COMMENT
• Saudi Arabia is undoubtedly one of the up-and-coming global tourism destinations, and if experiential travel lodging brand Habitas' $400m investment is anything to go by, it is just the start of a major drive by the Saudi government to build a thriving travel and tourism industry within the next seven years.
Using financing from The Saudi Tourism Development Fund [TDF], Habitas, which is also a luxury hotel and events brand, wants to expand its 'hotel circuit' model of glamping-style lodging and eco lodges across Saudi Arabia, in key locations such as Riyadh, Jeddah and along the Red Sea coast. These 'hotel circuits' are surging in popularity for their sustainability ethos, eye-catching non-urban locations and logistical convenience, including sorting transfers from airports, and may soon be rolled out in other parts of the world.
The sizeable investment should come as no surprise as it feeds directly into the Kingdom's 'Saudi Vision 2030' framework, which was set up to increase tourism's share of the Saudi economy and double the number of annual international and domestic travellers to 100 million by 2030. Saudi Arabia is making huge strides to exert its global influence, especially in hospitality and hosting major sporting events, but its critics will point to the country's human rights record and accusations of greenwashing projects as obstacles to completing its ultimate objective.
• Don't miss out on this week's sponsored webinar with Whimstay, focusing on 'Thriving in Short-Term Booking Windows' at 5pm BST on Wednesday. Our speakers include David Weiss [Whimstay], Andrew Kitchell [Wheelhouse] and Mike Mears [Inhabit] - join us by signing up at no cost here.
• We're counting down to our annual Urban Living Festival, which returns to East Wintergarden in Canary Wharf on 5-6 July, bringing together urban innovators and investors to collectively define the future of how and where people stay, live and work. Book your ULF tickets now at this link.
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