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Global Financial Company Northern Trust Moves its Regional Headquarters to Riyadh

The regional headquarters program has so far attracted 200 foreign companies. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
The regional headquarters program has so far attracted 200 foreign companies. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Global Financial Company Northern Trust Moves its Regional Headquarters to Riyadh

The regional headquarters program has so far attracted 200 foreign companies. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
The regional headquarters program has so far attracted 200 foreign companies. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Northern Trust Corp. has become one of the first major global financial institutions to establish its regional headquarters in Riyadh, which strengthens the Saudi government’s efforts to have international companies manage their operations in the Middle East from the Kingdom.
The American financial services company, which manages assets worth $1.3 trillion, obtained a license from the Saudi Ministry of Investment to establish its Middle Eastern base in Riyadh.
Speaking to Bloomberg, a company spokesman said that Northern Trust continues to achieve “significant growth” throughout the region through its offices in Abu Dhabi and Riyadh, explaining that the establishment of the regional headquarters for the Middle East and North Africa region in Saudi Arabia reflects the continued investment in infrastructure, capabilities and expertise in the region.
The Kingdom announced on Tuesday that it would provide a new tax incentive package for a period of 30 years to foreign companies whose regional headquarters are located in the Kingdom, including exemption from income tax.
The Saudi News Agency (SPA) said that the Ministry of Investment - in coordination with the Ministry of Finance and the country’s Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority - announced “the provision of a new tax incentive package, for a period of 30 years, to support the program to attract the regional headquarters of international companies.”
This step comes to “encourage and facilitate the procedures for international companies to open their regional headquarters in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,” the agency added.
The Regional Headquarters Program was launched in 2021, which is a joint initiative between the Ministry of Investment and the Royal Commission for the City of Riyadh, which calls on international companies to move their regional headquarters to Saudi Arabia, to transform the country into a leading regional hub for multinational companies.

 

 

 

 

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Fire, Smoke Upend Western Canada’s Summer Tourism Season

A helicopter works a forest fire outside of Jasper, Alberta, Canada, on Friday July 26, 2024. (Reuters)
A helicopter works a forest fire outside of Jasper, Alberta, Canada, on Friday July 26, 2024. (Reuters)
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Fire, Smoke Upend Western Canada’s Summer Tourism Season

A helicopter works a forest fire outside of Jasper, Alberta, Canada, on Friday July 26, 2024. (Reuters)
A helicopter works a forest fire outside of Jasper, Alberta, Canada, on Friday July 26, 2024. (Reuters)

Severe wildfire seasons are increasingly hurting western Canada's lucrative tourism industry, with some visitors beginning to avoid the busy late-summer months due to concerns about uncontrolled blazes, smoke-filled skies and road closures.

After a scorching start to July, nearly 600 wildfires are now ablaze across British Columbia and Alberta, including a huge fire that this week devastated the picturesque tourist town of Jasper in the Canadian Rockies.

Dozens of communities, including popular holiday spots in British Columbia's Kootenay region, are under evacuation orders and several highways are closed.

This year's surge in wildfire activity comes after Canada endured its worst-ever year for wildfires in 2023, when more than 15 million hectares (37 million acres) burned, including parts of the city of West Kelowna in the heart of British Columbia's wine region.

Ellen Walker-Matthews, head of the Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association, said the industry was seeing a lot more last-minute travel decisions instead of booking in advance.

"It's a huge blow. July and August are traditionally the busiest months in the region," said Walker-Matthews, adding that while her region has been relatively unscathed by wildfires this summer, some visitors are choosing to avoid interior British Columbia altogether.

The members of the British Columbia Lodging and Campgrounds Association are reporting a 5-15% drop in bookings from a year ago, with the biggest declines coming from the hotter Okanagan and Cariboo regions, said Joss Penny, who heads the association.

"The concern is that this is something we have to live with and we have it every year now," said Penny.

Although wildfires in Canada's forests are natural and common, scientists say drier, hotter conditions fueled by climate change are leading to more volatile and frequent blazes.

'SMOKEY SKIES'

Some events, like the Salmon Arm Roots and Blues Festival, usually held in August, have now been rescheduled to earlier in the summer to avoid what is now seen as peak smoke season. The festival, which was cancelled last year due to nearby wildfires, was this year moved to July to benefit from "less smokey skies."

Wildfires and extreme climatic events are prompting tourists to "change their plans not just temporarily, but permanently," said Elizabeth Halpenny, a tourism researcher and professor at the University of Alberta, noting that seasonal workers in the sector are often the hardest hit as they have few protections during a bad season or amid a cataclysmic fire.

Tourism contributed C$7.2 billion to the British Columbia economy in 2022, and C$9.9 billion to Alberta in 2023, according to the latest government data.

Jasper National Park is one of Canada's premier tourist destinations, with more than 2 million visitors a year flocking to see its pristine mountain landscapes and abundant wildlife, including grizzly bears, moose and elk.

Kelly Torrens, vice-president of product at international tour company Kensington Tours, described western Canada as a bucket-list destination. But the company now has 49 trips that were supposed to pass through Jasper this season in limbo. Six others were forced to evacuate the park when the fire hit.

Parks Canada has cancelled all camping reservations within Jasper National Park until Aug. 6 and with potentially 50% of the town's structures destroyed by fire, the cleanup and rebuild could take years.

Halpenny is among those hedging their bets.

"I've booked a campsite stay in the mountain parks but at the same time, I booked a campsite out on the prairie somewhere and that's my backup plan because I don't want to miss out on my vacation with my family."