Red Sea Global and Kingdom Holding Company Sign SAR2 Billion Joint Venture 

Red Sea Global (RSG) announced the successful completion of an investment deal with Kingdom Holding Company (KHC).
Red Sea Global (RSG) announced the successful completion of an investment deal with Kingdom Holding Company (KHC).
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Red Sea Global and Kingdom Holding Company Sign SAR2 Billion Joint Venture 

Red Sea Global (RSG) announced the successful completion of an investment deal with Kingdom Holding Company (KHC).
Red Sea Global (RSG) announced the successful completion of an investment deal with Kingdom Holding Company (KHC).

Red Sea Global (RSG) announced on Tuesday the successful completion of an investment deal with Kingdom Holding Company (KHC).

The SAR2 billion joint venture brings together RSG and KHC in a 50/50 partnership to develop and own the Four Seasons Resort Red Sea, Saudi Arabia, expected to open in early 2025.

The highly anticipated luxury resort is situated on Shura Island, the main hub for Red Sea destinations. It will offer 149 rooms and suites, plus 31 residential properties, as well as six restaurants and lounge outlets, meeting and events spaces, a marine discovery center, and a Kids For All Seasons space, according to an RSG press release.

"This partnership strengthens our unwavering commitment to transforming the tourism landscape in Saudi Arabia. We share a common vision of creating extraordinary destinations that not only drive economic growth and job creation, but also preserve precious ecosystems, aligning perfectly with the aspirations outlined in Vision 2030,” said RSG Group CEO John Pagano.

KHC CEO Eng. Talal Ibrahim Almaiman said: "We are proud to partner with RSG in the execution of one of the Kingdom’s most exciting projects and look forward to creating value for our respective shareholders. This investment will form part of our broader strategy for further investments in the Saudi Arabian high growth market."

Shura Island will be home to a total of 11 resorts, and will include residential properties, an 18-hole championship golf course, a 118-berth marina, and an "exceptional retail, dining, and entertainment experience".



China Expands Visa-free Entry to More Countries in Bid to Boost Economy

Shoppers with their purchased goods walk past a popular outdoor shopping mall in Beijing, on Nov. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)
Shoppers with their purchased goods walk past a popular outdoor shopping mall in Beijing, on Nov. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)
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China Expands Visa-free Entry to More Countries in Bid to Boost Economy

Shoppers with their purchased goods walk past a popular outdoor shopping mall in Beijing, on Nov. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)
Shoppers with their purchased goods walk past a popular outdoor shopping mall in Beijing, on Nov. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)

China announced Friday that it would expand visa-free entry to citizens of nine more countries as it seeks to boost tourism and business travel to help revive a sluggish economy.
Starting Nov. 30, travelers from Bulgaria, Romania, Malta, Croatia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Estonia, Latvia and Japan will be able to enter China for up to 30 days without a visa, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said.
That will bring to 38 the number of countries that have been granted visa-free access since last year. Only three countries had visa-free access previously, and theirs had been eliminated during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The permitted length of stay for visa-free entry is being increased from the previous 15 days, Lin said, and people participating in exchanges will be eligible for the first time. China has been pushing people-to-people exchange between students, academics and others to try to improve its sometimes strained relations with other countries, The Associated Press reported.
China strictly restricted entry during the pandemic and ended its restrictions much later than most other countries. It restored the previous visa-free access for citizens of Brunei and Singapore in July 2023, and then expanded visa-free entry to six more countries — France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Malaysia — on Dec. 1 of last year.
The program has since been expanded in tranches. Some countries have announced visa-free entry for Chinese citizens, notably Thailand, which wants to bring back Chinese tourists.
For the three months from July through September this year, China recorded 8.2 million entries by foreigners, of which 4.9 million were visa-free, the official Xinhua News Agency said, quoting a Foreign Ministry consular official.