Needing two off the final ball, Rajasthan's Rovman Powell missed a full toss and was trapped in front of the wicket by Bhuvneshwar Kumar
cricket10 hours ago
Saudi Arabia is looking to increasingly tempt both international and domestic travellers by expanding its hospitality offerings to offer visitors a greater range of long-stay options, hospitality experts have said.
Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts (MHR) recently revealed plans to open its first hotel and apartment property in Jeddah in 2017, in a bid to meet strong demand for branded extended-stay accommodation in Saudi Arabia's booming seaport city. The Swiss hospitality firm has signed an agreement with prominent real estate and investment company, Hadia Abdul Latif Jameel Group, to manage the 164-unit Mövenpick Hotel & Apartments Al Tahlia Jeddah, which will command a sought-after location on Hail Street, close to Jeddah's major commercial, financial, consular and shopping districts.
With the modern-day corporate traveller in mind, the property, part of a high-profile mixed-use development, features predominantly suites, an all-day-dining outlet, a casual fine-food Indian restaurant, a gym with two spa treatment rooms, and four meeting rooms.
"It's a flexible hotel and apartment model that caters to both short and long-stay clients, capitalising on the gap in the market for branded extended-stay accommodation," explained Andreas Mattmüller, chief operating officer of Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts for the Middle East and South Asia. "The hospitality industry in Saudi Arabia is expanding significantly over the entire country, which sets the perfect scenario for us to further increase our portfolio within the Kingdom."
According to the World Travel and Tourism Council, the total contribution of travel and tourism to Saudi GDP was SR218 billion in 2014, accounting for 7.7 per cent of GDP. This is forecast to rise by 4.4 per cent to SR356.6 billion, and amount to nine per cent of GDP in 2025. This projected increase is due to Saudi Arabia's impressive tourism attractions and the ongoing growth of religious tourism.
Speaking on the latest travel trends in the country, Mattmüller said: "There is an important increase in Saudi nationals travelling within the Kingdom for business and relaxation. The Kingdom's drive to promote domestic tourism, encouraging Saudis to holiday at home, is achieving increasing success. Mega-investments in the public and private sectors are generating more international business travellers. There are important investments being made in religious tourism projects, in both the Holy Cities of Makkah and Madinah, which will eventually increase demand."
"We anticipate that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia will experience a significant growth in religious tourism over the coming five years, due to the expansion of the grounds surrounding the Holy Mosques of Makkah and Madinah, and the added infrastructure around religious sites, including the important railway project linking the cities of Makkah and Madinah via Jeddah," he added.
Signing Mövenpick Hotel & Apartments Al Tahlia helps to consolidate MHR's position in Jeddah, where the company currently operates two properties, but now has three pipelined, taking its total number of keys in the city to 923 across five hotels by 2018. Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts also has plans to increase its KSA footprint by one-third, from a current 10 properties with 3,907 keys to 15 properties with 5,204 keys by 2018. Upcoming projects include Mövenpick Hotel City Star Jeddah, opening this year; Mövenpick Residences Al Khobar due in 2017; Mövenpick Hotel Financial District Riyadh also due in 2017; and Mövenpick Hotel Heraa Jeddah due in 2018.
Needing two off the final ball, Rajasthan's Rovman Powell missed a full toss and was trapped in front of the wicket by Bhuvneshwar Kumar
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