Top 3 Headlines
Bahrain to host 2025 World Travel Awards Grand Final
The World Travel Awards will stage its 2025 Grand Final on 6 December at Exhibition World Bahrain’s Grand Hall, closing a year of regional ceremonies across Africa, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, the Caribbean and the Americas. The event will bring together leading hotels, airlines, destinations and travel operators recognised for excellence throughout the season.
The modern venue will host industry figures as winners are announced across sectors including luxury hospitality, aviation, cruises and emerging destinations. The ceremony marks the final gathering of the global travel community for the year, highlighting key achievements and setting the tone for the industry’s direction in 2026.
AlUla launches Ancient Kingdoms Festival 2025
Saudi Arabia has opened the Ancient Kingdoms Festival 2025 in AlUla, unveiling more than two weeks of cultural programming running from 20 November to 6 December. The event forms part of the AlUla Moments initiative, which aims to strengthen the kingdom’s cultural tourism sector and deepen public engagement with the region’s archaeological sites.
This year’s theme, “Journeys Through Time,” turns AlUla’s desert landscapes into an open-air museum. The schedule includes guided heritage walks, evening performances and new art installations highlighting the Nabataean, Dadanite and Lihyanite civilisations that once shaped northwestern Arabia.
Abu Dhabi unveils landmark Natural History Museum
The Natural History Museum Abu Dhabi, a major new institution in the Saadiyat Cultural District that traces 13.8 billion years of natural history, is now open to the public. It is the largest museum of its kind in the Middle East and a new hub for scientific research.
The museum features the world’s first display of a sauropod dinosaur herd and a dramatic exhibition of two Tyrannosaurus rex battling over a Triceratops, anchored by the renowned 67-million-year-old T.rex fossil “Stan.” Galleries also highlight the region’s prehistoric landscapes, including fossils from a once-lush Arabian savannah. Focused on environmental education and biodiversity research, the museum will offer public programmes and youth initiatives.
Noteworthy
- Ferrari World Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, is celebrating 15 years of record-breaking fun with month-long festivities featuring live performances, exclusive merchandise, and interactive Ferrari-themed challenges.
- Oman’s Dhofar Governorate has inaugurated the Arabian Sea Resort in Mirbat, a 60-room coastal retreat blending Omani heritage with modern comfort. The resort aims to boost tourism, create local jobs, and strengthen sustainable coastal development.
- Saudi Arabia’s Museums Commission will open the Red Sea Museum in Historic Jeddah on 6 December. Housed in the restored Bab Al-Bunt building, the museum will feature over 1,000 artifacts and artworks exploring the Red Sea’s history, culture, and biodiversity, reinforcing Jeddah’s role as a hub of heritage and creativity.
- Dubai Business Events showcased the city’s growing influence as a global meetings hub at IBTM World 2025 in Barcelona. With record bid wins and leading global rankings, Dubai reaffirmed its position as the number 1 MICE destination in the Middle East.
- DCT Abu Dhabi has expanded its partnerships with Expedia Group, Amadeus and WebBeds to fuel visitor growth to 25 million by 2026 and 39.3 million by 2030. The multi-year tie-up with Expedia will drive targeted campaigns across 15 key markets, while Amadeus’ AI-powered media solutions and WebBeds’ trade reach will boost Abu Dhabi’s visibility in more than 20 source markets, including heritage-rich Al Ain and Al Dhafra.
- Oman’s tourism and hospitality sector generated RO1.99bn in total output in the first nine months of 2025, contributing 2.7% to GDP. With rising hotel revenues and 13.6 million domestic trips, the Ministry of Heritage and Tourism continues expanding global outreach through new offices and international campaigns.
- Sharjah hosted the 12th Sharjah International Travel and Tourism Forum under the theme “New Waves of Tourism Spectrum,” uniting SCBTA, Shurooq and private-sector leaders to shape the future of regional tourism. The forum tackled sustainable tourism, digital transformation, post-pandemic recovery, and cultural tourism’s role in economic diversification.
- It’s the last chance to visit Terra at Expo City Dubai for the Nature & Wonder Festival, a six-day family event celebrating the UAE’s native plants and landscapes. Running 1-3 December for its final weekend, the festival offers mindful gardening, composting workshops, terrarium-making, and the “Operation Pollination” bee-detective trail, alongside yoga, storytelling and nature-inspired music.
- The UAE has become the fastest-growing wellness economy in MENA, reaching $40.8 billion, according to new research from the Global Wellness Institute. It ranks first regionally in wellness real estate, personal care and beauty, and spa revenue, driven by national wellbeing strategies and major projects such as SHA Emirates and Aldar’s Fahid Island. Wellness tourism alone is now a $11.3 billion sector.
- AlUla and Pompeii have launched a landmark collaboration to exchange conservation expertise, elevate visitor experiences, and advance sustainable heritage management across their UNESCO World Heritage sites. The partnership will blend Pompeii’s urban archaeology with AlUla’s vast landscape heritage to create richer storytelling and more immersive cultural journeys for travellers.
