The Middle East

Rising levels of investment in the Saudi Arabian health sector over the past decade have drawn praise from the World Health Organisation (WHO) and helped boost capacity to meet growing demand. A sharp increase in the state health budget for 2015 looks set to sustain this growth in the face of some long-term challenges. These include increasing...

Domestic tourism in Saudi Arabia has enjoyed something of a surge in recent years, with spending rising from SR59bn ($15.7bn) in 2010 to SR103bn ($27.5bn) in 2014 – representing compound annual growth of 15%. Yet, taken on an individual basis, Saudis continue to spend significantly less per domestic trip than they do when travelling abroad:...

Despite playing host to a plethora of natural and cultural attractions, the Kingdom’s tourism sector remains relatively under-developed and is largely limited to the religious pilgrim market centred on Makkah and Medina. The legacy of this under-development is particularly felt in the regulation of the sector. The Kingdom’s regulatory body,...

With millions of Muslims arriving every year to visit the Holy Cities of Makkah and Medina, Saudi Arabia’s tourism sector is characterised to a large degree by religious pilgrimage. However, while significant investments continue to be made to meet growing demand from this segment, the Kingdom’s tourism authorities are also hard at work...

Saudi Arabia takes third place in the global list of countries ranked by ease of paying taxes, a remarkable achievement for a G-20 country with a GDP of over $700bn. Yet with the necessary due care and commitment to compliance, businesses can enjoy the advantages of the system.

The growth of the Saudi economy over the last few decades has been nothing short of staggering, and today the country is one of the top 20 economies in the world. Historically, the hydrocarbons sector has dominated the economy, though growth in other segments, including industry, manufacturing, retail, trade and construction, has created...