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As the second-largest city in Saudi Arabia, Jeddah plays a central role in the Kingdom’s non-oil economic growth, largely due to a combination of its roots in shipping and trade, and its importance as a transit point for millions of visitors travelling to the holy cities of Makkah and Medina each year.

With Saudi Arabia aiming to significantly increase the number of pilgrims visiting Makkah and Medina each year, the issue of providing sufficient housing for the cities’ permanent residents has been a cause for growing concern. To take pressure off both Makkah and Jeddah – cities that have seen substantial population increases over the past...

On January 4, 2016, with Brent crude valued at $30 per barrel, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud first mentioned the possibility of selling off a small part of the state oil company, Saudi Aramco. Even with global oil prices in the doldrums, his mention of a possible IPO of the firm in a rare interview with The Economist...

Visits to Jeddah are on the rise, and this is expected to continue amid efforts to promote domestic tourism and position the wider industry as a significant contributor to economic development. According to the Tourism Information and Research Centre (MAS), the statistical arm of the Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage, domestic...

Due to the importance of Makkah and Medina in the Muslim world, and the millions of pilgrims they attract, the two holy cities form a major component of Saudi Arabia’s non-oil economy. The pilgrimages of Hajj and Umrah are performed each year, with worshippers’ fees, food, transport and accommodation totalling some $12bn in revenues.