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SPA RIYADH, April 9 (Saudi Arabia Breaking News) - Domestic tourism in Saudi Arabia rose sharply in the first quarter of 2026, with the number of local tourists reaching about 28.9 million, up 16% from a year earlier, according to preliminary data from the Ministry of Tourism. Domestic tourism spending reached SAR34.7 billion during the period, an increase of 8%, while the total number of domestic and international tourists climbed to around 37.2 million, with combined spendi

SPA RIYADH, April 5, 2026 (Saudi Arabia Breaking News) – Taif’s rose farms are seeing stronger production this harvest season, helped by favorable weather conditions that have improved crop quality and increased output, according to farmers and tourism operatos. Taif Governorate has more than 910 rose farms and about 1.14mn rose shrubs, producing around 550 mn roses a year during a harvest season that lasts about 45 days. The farms are concentrated in the highland areas of Al

. PMI data show first contraction since 2020 as weaker orders, falling exports and logistics disruption expose the cost of regional instability. PARIS, April 5 (SaudiArabia Breaking News) - Saudi Arabia’s non-oil private sector contracted in March for the first time since August 2020, as conflict in the Middle East weighed on demand, disrupted exports and intensified supply-chain pressures, according to a closely watched business survey released on Sunday. The seasonally adju

RIYADH, March 31, 2026 (Saudi Arabia Breaking News) – Saudi Arabia’s unemployment rate for the total working-age population stood at 3.5% in the fourth quarter of 2025, unchanged from a year earlier and up 0.1 percentage point from the previous quarter, according to the General Authority for Statistics. Separate data for Saudi nationals showed the unemployment rate among Saudi males and females at 7.2% during the quarter, as labor market indicators pointed to continued shifts

RIYADH, March 31, 2026 (Saudi Arabia Breaking News) – Saudi Arabia recorded SAR66.1 billion ($17.6 billion) in service exports in the fourth quarter of 2025, while service imports reached SAR119.6 billion, according to the General Authority for Statistics, with travel and transport remaining the main drivers of cross-border services activity. Travel services accounted for the largest share of Saudi service exports during the quarter at SAR39.5 billion, underscoring the sector

SPA MADINAH, March 31, 2026 (Saudi Arabia Breaking News) – The Nusuk app has surpassed 51 million users worldwide, Minister of Hajj and Umrah Tawfig Al-Rabiah said at the opening of the third Umrah and Ziyarah Forum in Madinah. The forum is being held over three days with broad local and international participation, bringing together stakeholders involved in services linked to Umrah and religious visitation. Developed by the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah, Nusuk offers more than

SPA RIYADH, March 28, 2026 (Saudi Arabia Breaking News) – The Future Investment Initiative Institute concluded FII PRIORITY Miami 2026 with discussions focused on how disruption is reshaping the global economic outlook in real time and how capital is adapting in response. Across plenary sessions, speakers addressed geopolitical instability, energy volatility, supply chain fragmentation and the transformative impact of artificial intelligence on markets, investment strategy an

SPA JEDDAH, March 27, 2026 (Saudi Arabia Breaking News) – The Saudi and Ukrainian defence ministries signed a memorandum of arrangements linked to defence procurement in Jeddah on Friday. The agreement was signed on behalf of Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Defense by Assistant Minister of Defense for Executive Affairs Khalid bin Hussein Al-Biyari. On the Ukrainian side, the memorandum was signed by Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Andriy Hnatov.

RIYADH, March 26, 2026 (Saudi Arabia Breaking News) – Saudi Arabia’s central bank on Thursday licensed two companies to provide payment services and offer account information services as part of the Kingdom’s open banking push. The Saudi Central Bank, known as SAMA, granted the licences to New Technology for Software Solutions and Lean Technologies Saudi Arabia for Information Systems Technology. The approvals came after the two companies completed the trial period within the

Fuel prices can be seen at a filling station in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, on Sunday. Thomas Warnack/picture alliance/Getty Images Riyadh, March 26, 2026 (Saudi Arabia Breaking News) – Germany’s lower house of parliament approved initial measures on Thursday aimed at curbing soaring fuel prices caused by the war involving Iran, including a rule allowing petrol stations to raise prices only once a day. Reuters reported the legislation would permit stations to increase prices

Riyadh, March 26, 2026 (Saudi Arabia Breaking News) –Saudi Arabia’s reserve assets posted steady annual and quarterly growth at the end of 2025, with foreign securities and overseas deposits continuing to account for the largest share of the central bank’s holdings. Saudi Arabia’s central bank reserve assets rose to around SAR 1.73 trillion at the end of 2025, marking a 5.3% increase from a year earlier, according to December data from the Saudi Central Bank’s monthly statis

A technician works at an Amazon Web Services AI data center in New Carlisle, Indiana, U.S., October 2, 2025. REUTERS/Noah Berger for AWS DUBAI, March 24 (Saudi Arabia Breaking News) – Amazon said its Amazon Web Services region in Bahrain had been disrupted following drone activity in the area, marking the second time in a month that the war has affected the company’s operations in the region. The company said it was helping customers move workloads to other AWS regions while

A view of logos on the last day of the 56th annual World Economic Forum (WEF) meeting in Davos, Switzerland, January 23, 2026. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse RIYADH, March 24 (Saudi Arabia Breaking News) – The World Economic Forum has rescheduled its international meeting on cooperation and growth, which had been due to take place in Jeddah on April 22 and 23, following coordination with Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Economy and Planning, SPA reported on Tuesday. The ministry indicated

A Boeing 777-300ER passenger aircraft operated by Air France, takes off from Charles de Gaulle airport, in Roissy-en-France, near Paris, France, March 20, 2026. REUTERS/Benoit Tessier RIYADH, March 23 (Saudi Arabia Breaking News) - Air France said on Monday it had extended the suspension of flights to and from Riyadh and Dubai until March 31, and to and from Tel Aviv and Beirut until April 4. The airline said the decision was due to the security situation at the destinations

Riyadh, March 21 (Saudi Arabia Breaking News) – Disruption in the Strait of Hormuz is raising food supply risks across the Gulf region, threatening a waterway that serves as a critical route not only for global energy flows but also for imports relied on by more than 100 million people. Oil and liquefied natural gas tankers moving through the strait carry around 20% of the world’s supply, but for Gulf states the passage is also a key route for food shipments and other essenti

A file photo shows the Ras Laffan Industrial City, Qatar's principal site for production of liquefied natural gas and gas-to-liquid, on February 6, 2017. Karim Jaafar/AFP/Getty Images DOHA, March 20 (Saudi Arabia Breaking News) — Iranian missile strikes have cut Qatar’s liquefied natural gas export capacity by 17%, state-owned QatarEnergy said on Thursday, warning that damage to its facilities would disrupt supplies to Europe and Asia and could take up to five years to repair

A Ferrari technician walks past supercars inside the company's factory in Maranello, Italy, October 2, 2025. REUTERS/Remo Casilli RIYADH, March 19 (Saudi Arabia Breaking News) - Italian luxury sports car maker Ferrari said on Thursday it had temporarily suspended deliveries in the Middle East as war continued in the region. “We are closely monitoring the developments in the Middle East and the potential implications for our business,” the company said in a statement. “At this

RIYADH, March 19, 2026 (Saudi Arabia Breaking News) – The United Arab Emirates denied reports circulating on social media claiming restrictions on the movement of capital or limitations on foreign investors. The Ministry of Economy and Tourism said such claims were inaccurate and reaffirmed the country’s commitment to economic openness and the free movement of capital in line with applicable laws and international practices. The ministry said the policy supports a stable and

The authority urged eligible entities to file their returns through its official website or via its mobile application, as part of compliance requirements for VAT-registered businesses in the Kingdom. ZATCA warned that late submissions would incur penalties ranging from a minimum of 5% to a maximum of 25% of the unpaid tax amount due. It also encouraged taxpayers seeking further guidance on VAT obligations to contact its unified call center, available 24 hours a day, or acces