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Egypt Announces Measures to Boost Tourism

Egypt’s Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Ahmad Essa (Ministry of Tourism Facebook account)
Egypt’s Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Ahmad Essa (Ministry of Tourism Facebook account)
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Egypt Announces Measures to Boost Tourism

Egypt’s Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Ahmad Essa (Ministry of Tourism Facebook account)
Egypt’s Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Ahmad Essa (Ministry of Tourism Facebook account)

As part of an endeavor to boost tourism and secure 30 million visitors annually, Egypt announced on Monday certain measures under the emergency visa system.

The measures give citizens of China and India, and certain segments of the Turkish population, the possibility to obtain a visa upon arrival through one of the Egyptian ports, while allowing citizens of Iran and Israel to enter certain regions of the country with a visa upon arrival, but after coordination with tourism companies.

In a press conference on Monday, Egypt’s Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Ahmad Essa said that the new system would allow Chinese citizens to obtain a single-entry visa upon arrival through the various Egyptian ports and airports.

He added that citizens of India will also be allowed to obtain an emergency visa upon arrival, if they have residency in the Gulf countries, or have an entry visa to the United States, Britain, the European Union, Australia or New Zealand.

According to the new facilities, an emergency visa is granted upon arrival to tourists coming from the Arab Maghreb countries (Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia).

As for Israel and Iran, the minister said that their citizens would be allowed to enter certain areas in Egypt, in coordination with tourism companies, where they can obtain an emergency visa upon arrival.

Essa added that the visits of Iranian tourists were limited to the cities of South Sinai, while Israeli citizens were allowed to visit the cities of the Red Sea and Hurghada.

Moreover, citizens of Türkiye, with the exception of some segments, will be granted an entry visa at Egyptian airports, instead of obtaining it at the Egyptian embassy in their country, according to the minister.

Under the system, emergency entry visas will be given to Iraqi tourists upon their arrival at Egyptian ports and airports, provided that they have a valid visa to enter America, Britain, or European Union countries. This does not apply, however, to Iraqi tourists under 16 and over 60, who will have to obtain electronic visas to enter the country.

The minister also revealed the approval of issuing a multiple-entry visa for a period of five years, with a $700 fee, for citizens of 180 countries.

Tourism expert Ahmed Abdelaziz said the new measures announced by the Egyptian government were aimed at “reviving tourism” and attracting more visitors, but called for more steps.

Egypt aims to increase tourist visitation rates by up to 30 percent annually. In this context, Essa said: “The ministry has begun implementing a national strategy for the advancement of the sector, which relied on three axes."

Those include improving the tourism experience, supporting aviation, and strengthening the investment climate.

“The ministry aims to double spending on museums and antiquities, to improve the tourism experience, and to reach 30 million tourists annually by 2028,” the minister underlined, expecting the number of tourists during 2023 to reach 15 million.

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IMF and Arab Monetary Fund Sign MoU to Enhance Cooperation

The MoU was signed by IMF Managing Director Dr. Kristalina Georgieva and AMF Director General Dr. Fahad Alturki - SPA
The MoU was signed by IMF Managing Director Dr. Kristalina Georgieva and AMF Director General Dr. Fahad Alturki - SPA
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IMF and Arab Monetary Fund Sign MoU to Enhance Cooperation

The MoU was signed by IMF Managing Director Dr. Kristalina Georgieva and AMF Director General Dr. Fahad Alturki - SPA
The MoU was signed by IMF Managing Director Dr. Kristalina Georgieva and AMF Director General Dr. Fahad Alturki - SPA

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the Arab Monetary Fund (AMF) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on the sidelines of the AlUla Conference on Emerging Market Economies (EME) to enhance cooperation between the two institutions.

The MoU was signed by IMF Managing Director Dr. Kristalina Georgieva and AMF Director General Dr. Fahad Alturki, SPA reported.

The agreement aims to strengthen coordination in economic and financial policy areas, including surveillance and lending activities, data and analytical exchange, capacity building, and the provision of technical assistance, in support of regional financial and economic stability.

Both sides affirmed that the MoU represents an important step toward deepening their strategic partnership and strengthening the regional financial safety net, serving member countries and enhancing their ability to address economic challenges.

Business

Saudi Chambers Federation Announces First Saudi-Kuwaiti Business Council

File photo of the Saudi flag/AAWSAT
File photo of the Saudi flag/AAWSAT
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Saudi Chambers Federation Announces First Saudi-Kuwaiti Business Council

File photo of the Saudi flag/AAWSAT
File photo of the Saudi flag/AAWSAT

The Federation of Saudi Chambers announced the formation of the first joint Saudi-Kuwaiti Business Council for its inaugural term (1447–1451 AH) and the election of Salman bin Hassan Al-Oqayel as its chairman.

Al-Oqayel said the council’s formation marks a pivotal milestone in economic relations between Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, reflecting a practical approach to enabling the business sectors in both countries to capitalize on promising investment opportunities and strengthen bilateral trade and investment partnerships, SPA reported.

He noted that trade between Saudi Arabia and Kuwait reached approximately SAR9.5 billion by the end of November 2025, including SAR8 billion in Saudi exports and SAR1.5 billion in Kuwaiti imports.

Business

Leading Harvard Trade Economist Says Saudi Arabia Holds Key to Success in Fragmented Global Economy

Professor Pol Antràs speaks during a panel discussion at the AlUla Conference for Emerging Market Economies (Asharq Al-Awsat).
Professor Pol Antràs speaks during a panel discussion at the AlUla Conference for Emerging Market Economies (Asharq Al-Awsat).
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Leading Harvard Trade Economist Says Saudi Arabia Holds Key to Success in Fragmented Global Economy

Professor Pol Antràs speaks during a panel discussion at the AlUla Conference for Emerging Market Economies (Asharq Al-Awsat).
Professor Pol Antràs speaks during a panel discussion at the AlUla Conference for Emerging Market Economies (Asharq Al-Awsat).

Harvard University economics professor Pol Antràs said Saudi Arabia represents an exceptional model in the shifting global trade landscape, differing fundamentally from traditional emerging-market frameworks. He also stressed that globalization has not ended but has instead re-formed into what he describes as fragmented integration.

Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat on the sidelines of the AlUla Conference for Emerging Market Economies, Antràs said Saudi Arabia’s Vision-driven structural reforms position the Kingdom to benefit from the ongoing phase of fragmented integration, adding that the country’s strategic focus on logistics transformation and artificial intelligence constitutes a key engine for sustainable growth that extends beyond the volatility of global crises.

Antràs, the Robert G. Ory Professor of Economics at Harvard University, is one of the leading contemporary theorists of international trade. His research, which reshaped understanding of global value chains, focuses on how firms organize cross-border production and how regulation and technological change influence global trade flows and corporate decision-making.

He said conventional classifications of economies often obscure important structural differences, noting that the term emerging markets groups together countries with widely divergent industrial bases. Economies that depend heavily on manufacturing exports rely critically on market access and trade integration and therefore face stronger competitive pressures from Chinese exports that are increasingly shifting toward alternative markets.

Saudi Arabia, by contrast, exports extensively while facing limited direct competition from China in its primary export commodity, a situation that creates a strategic opportunity. The current environment allows the Kingdom to obtain imports from China at lower cost and access a broader range of goods that previously flowed largely toward the United States market.

Addressing how emerging economies should respond to dumping pressures and rising competition, Antràs said countries should minimize protectionist tendencies and instead position themselves as committed participants in the multilateral trading system, allowing foreign producers to access domestic markets while encouraging domestic firms to expand internationally.

He noted that although Chinese dumping presents concerns for countries with manufacturing sectors that compete directly with Chinese production, the risk is lower for Saudi Arabia because it does not maintain a large manufacturing base that overlaps directly with Chinese exports. Lower-cost imports could benefit Saudi consumers, while targeted policy tools such as credit programs, subsidies, and support for firms seeking to redesign and upgrade business models represent more effective responses than broad protectionist measures.

Globalization has not ended

Antràs said globalization continues but through more complex structures, with trade agreements increasingly negotiated through diverse arrangements rather than relying primarily on multilateral negotiations. Trade deals will continue to be concluded, but they are likely to become more complex, with uncertainty remaining a defining feature of the global trading environment.

Interest rates and artificial intelligence

According to Antràs, high global interest rates, combined with the additional risk premiums faced by emerging markets, are constraining investment, particularly in sectors that require export financing, capital expenditure, and continuous quality upgrading.

However, he noted that elevated interest rates partly reflect expectations of stronger long-term growth driven by artificial intelligence and broader technological transformation.

He also said if those growth expectations materialize, productivity gains could enable small and medium-sized enterprises to forecast demand more accurately and identify previously untapped markets, partially offsetting the negative effects of higher borrowing costs.

Employment concerns and the role of government

The Harvard professor warned that labor markets face a dual challenge stemming from intensified Chinese export competition and accelerating job automation driven by artificial intelligence, developments that could lead to significant disruptions, particularly among younger workers. He said governments must adopt proactive strategies requiring substantial fiscal resources to mitigate near-term labor-market shocks.

According to Antràs, productivity growth remains the central condition for success: if new technologies deliver the anticipated productivity gains, governments will gain the fiscal space needed to compensate affected groups and retrain the workforce, achieving a balance between addressing short-term disruptions and investing in long-term strategic gains.