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Riyadh Season Attracts 20 Million Visitors with 100% Qualitative Leap

The Boulevard World is one of the most important zones that attract visitors during the Riyadh Season. (Media Center of the General Entertainment Authority)
The Boulevard World is one of the most important zones that attract visitors during the Riyadh Season. (Media Center of the General Entertainment Authority)
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Riyadh Season Attracts 20 Million Visitors with 100% Qualitative Leap

The Boulevard World is one of the most important zones that attract visitors during the Riyadh Season. (Media Center of the General Entertainment Authority)
The Boulevard World is one of the most important zones that attract visitors during the Riyadh Season. (Media Center of the General Entertainment Authority)

The fourth edition of the Riyadh Season, which falls within the initiatives of the General Entertainment Authority, saw a qualitative leap in the number of visitors, attracting around 20 million people from inside and outside the Kingdom, compared to 10 million in its first edition in 2019.Chairman of the General Entertainment Authority’s board of directors, Turki Al-Sheikh said that 20 million people visited Riyadh Season 2023 from inside and outside Saudi Arabia, thanks to the support of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.Al-Sheikh also revealed the launch of the Eid al-Fitr 2024 identity, under the slogan “Your Eid among your family and loved ones.”The Saudi government has recently announced completing one of the goals of Vision 2030 that is attracting 100 million visitors during the past year, unveiling a new strategy by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman that seeks to bring 150 million visitors to the Kingdom.The Riyadh Season activities started on Oct. 20, with 12 regions offering exceptional experiences to millions of local and foreign tourists.The event displays innovative achievements in the world of entertainment, amusement parks, sports, art, culture, and much more.

This season hosted three international boxing fights, the Riyadh Season Football Cup Championship, the Egypt Cup, the tennis, snooker, padel and skating tournaments, as well as many plays and artistic concerts.The event also featured the Joy Awards for the entertainment industry, which was attended by a number of local and international artists.General Manager and CEO of Abdul Mohsen Al Hokair Company, Majed Al Hokair, told Asharq Al-Awsat that the increasing number of visitors proves the success of the General Entertainment Authority’s strategy, led by Turki Al-Sheikh.For his part, Nasser Al-Ghailan, founder and CEO of a leading tourism investment company, stressed that the Riyadh Season has become an international event that attracts local and foreign tourists and revives the commercial activity of national companies specialized in the tourism, travel and entertainment sector, specifically small and medium enterprises.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Business

US Jobless Claims, Business Activity Keep Economy on Gradual Cooling Path

The sign on a Taco Bell reustaurant advertises "Now Hiring Managers" in Fitchburg, Massachusetts, US, June 12, 2018. REUTERS/Brian Snyder/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights
The sign on a Taco Bell reustaurant advertises "Now Hiring Managers" in Fitchburg, Massachusetts, US, June 12, 2018. REUTERS/Brian Snyder/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights
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US Jobless Claims, Business Activity Keep Economy on Gradual Cooling Path

The sign on a Taco Bell reustaurant advertises "Now Hiring Managers" in Fitchburg, Massachusetts, US, June 12, 2018. REUTERS/Brian Snyder/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights
The sign on a Taco Bell reustaurant advertises "Now Hiring Managers" in Fitchburg, Massachusetts, US, June 12, 2018. REUTERS/Brian Snyder/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights

The number of Americans filing new applications for unemployment benefits ticked up in the latest week, but appeared to be steadying near a level consistent with a gradual cooling of the labor market that should set the stage for the Federal Reserve to kick off interest rate cuts next month.
A slowdown in overall US business activity this month as firms faced diminished ability to push through price increases added to the evidence that the economy is slowing and inflation is downshifting to a degree that should allow Fed officials to focus more attention on the job market, Reuters reported.

With a rate cut now broadly expected next month, interest rates on home loans have already begun dropping, and that helped fuel a larger-than-expected rebound in existing home sales last month.
Initial claims for state unemployment benefits rose 4,000 to a seasonally adjusted 232,000 for the week ended Aug. 17, the Labor Department said on Thursday. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast 230,000 claims for the latest week.

The latest data should continue to allay fears that the labor market is rapidly deteriorating, first raised after a sharper-than-expected slowdown in job growth in July, which also saw the unemployment rate rise to a post-pandemic high of 4.3%.
Indeed, the latest claims data covers the survey week for this month's employment report from the Labor Department, and the leveling off in new filings points to "a small decline in the unemployment rate in August," Nancy Vanden Houten, lead US economist at Oxford Economics, said in a client note.

"Claims are leveling off on a trend basis, consistent with our view that, while the labor market is softening, it isn't weak enough to warrant anything more than a 25 (basis point) rate cut at the Fed's September meeting," she said.
Fed officials have said they are keenly watching the labor market, aware that waiting too long to cut interest rates could cause serious harm.
Layoffs remain historically low, however, with much of the slowdown in the labor market coming from firms scaling back hiring, trailing an immigration-induced surge in labor supply.

The Fed's 525 basis points worth of rate hikes in 2022 and 2023 are curbing demand.
The US central bank has kept its benchmark overnight interest rate in the current 5.25%-5.50% range for more than a year. With a first rate cut now widely expected at its Sept. 17-18 policy meeting, the market focus is on how large a reduction it will be - a quarter or a half percentage point.
The number of people receiving benefits after an initial week of aid, a proxy for hiring, rose 4,000 to a seasonally adjusted 1.863 million during the week ending Aug. 10, the claims report showed.