Saudi Tourism Minister Announces Support for 17 Tourism Projects in Al-Ahsa

Saudi Minister of Tourism Ahmed Al-Khateeb highlighted the main investment opportunities in the tourism sector. SPA
Saudi Minister of Tourism Ahmed Al-Khateeb highlighted the main investment opportunities in the tourism sector. SPA
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Saudi Tourism Minister Announces Support for 17 Tourism Projects in Al-Ahsa

Saudi Minister of Tourism Ahmed Al-Khateeb highlighted the main investment opportunities in the tourism sector. SPA
Saudi Minister of Tourism Ahmed Al-Khateeb highlighted the main investment opportunities in the tourism sector. SPA

Saudi Minister of Tourism Ahmed Al-Khateeb has met with several investors and entrepreneurs in Al-Ahsa Governorate as part of his tour to various regions and governorates of the Kingdom coinciding with the Saudi winter events calendar.
In the meeting, he highlighted the main investment opportunities in the tourism sector, emphasizing the ministry's commitment to providing comprehensive services and facilities to enable investors to join the promising sector.

Al-Khateeb noted that the tourism ecosystem supports numerous projects in Al-Ahsa, including 17 unique tourism initiatives valued at over SAR3.5 billion, providing more than 1,800 hotel rooms.

The projects aim to boost the tourism sector, leveraging Al-Ahsa's exceptional features that qualify it to become a major tourist destination in the Kingdom and the region, the minister said.

During his tour, he made a stop at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Al-Ahsa, a beneficiary of the Tourism Development Fund. Covering an area of over 10,000 square meters and costing more than SAR200 million, the hotel boasts more than 180 rooms.

It stands as a model tourist destination that combines international luxury with local authenticity, reflecting the unique charm of Al-Ahsa.



Trump Vows New Tariffs on Mexico, Canada and China

FILE PHOTO: US President-elect Donald Trump attends a viewing of the launch of the sixth test flight of the SpaceX Starship rocket, in Brownsville, Texas, US, November 19, 2024. Brandon Bell/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: US President-elect Donald Trump attends a viewing of the launch of the sixth test flight of the SpaceX Starship rocket, in Brownsville, Texas, US, November 19, 2024. Brandon Bell/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo
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Trump Vows New Tariffs on Mexico, Canada and China

FILE PHOTO: US President-elect Donald Trump attends a viewing of the launch of the sixth test flight of the SpaceX Starship rocket, in Brownsville, Texas, US, November 19, 2024. Brandon Bell/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: US President-elect Donald Trump attends a viewing of the launch of the sixth test flight of the SpaceX Starship rocket, in Brownsville, Texas, US, November 19, 2024. Brandon Bell/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo

US President-elect Donald Trump vowed on Monday to impose sweeping new tariffs on Mexico, Canada and China as soon as he takes office as part of his effort to crack down on illegal immigration and drugs.

He said he would impose a 25% tax on all products entering the country from Canada and Mexico, and an additional 10% tariff on goods from China, as one of his first executive orders.

In a series of posts to his Truth Social account, Trump vowed to hit some of the United States' largest trading partners with duties on all goods entering the country.

“On January 20th, as one of my many first Executive Orders, I will sign all necessary documents to charge Mexico and Canada a 25% tariff on ALL products coming into the United States,” he wrote, according to AFP.

He said the new tariffs would remain in place “until such time as Drugs, in particular Fentanyl, and all Illegal Aliens stop this Invasion of our Country!”

The President ignored the US, Mexico and Canada three-decade-old free trade agreement, now called the USMCA.

In another post, Trump said he would also be slapping China with a 10% tariff, “above any additional Tariffs,” in response to what he said was its failure to tackle fentanyl smuggling.

“No one will win a trade war,” Liu Pengyu, a spokesman for China's embassy in the United States, told AFP by email, defending Beijing's efforts to curb fentanyl smuggling.

“China believes that China-US economic and trade cooperation is mutually beneficial in nature,” Liu added.

Canada said it was “essential” to US energy supplies, and insisted the relationship benefits American workers.

“We will of course continue to discuss these issues with the incoming administration,” said the statement from Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland.

Tariffs are a key part of Trump's economic agenda, with the Republican vowing wide-ranging duties on allies and adversaries alike while he was on the campaign trail.

Many economists have warned that tariffs would hurt growth and push up inflation, since they are primarily paid by importers bringing the goods into the US, who often pass those costs on to consumers.

But those in Trump's inner circle have insisted that the tariffs are a useful bargaining chip for the US to push its trading partners to agree to more favorable terms, and to bring back manufacturing jobs from overseas.