Saudi director, scriptwriter, actress and theater coach Lana Kamel Komsany took part in a Theater and Performing Arts Commission virtual conference in late July as part of plans to highlight Saudi talent, and reshape and strengthen the field.
Komsany discussed employing local talent and culture to produce high-quality contemporary theater that will represent Saudi Arabia internationally.
“We have an incredible mix of creatives, academics and experienced individuals. With proper collaboration and guidance, creative content can see the light,” she told Arab News. Komsany said that our local identity “is who we are and how we make art.”
“It’s a rich and complex identity, and deserves to be represented on stage locally and internationally,” she added.
Komsany completed her bachelor’s degree in theater from Northeastern University, Boston, in 2000, and has acted in and directed plays in Cairo such as “Al-Rahaya.”
She acted in and was part of the “Bussy” (“look“) initiative to shed light on women’s life stories.
Komsany supervised the theater department at the Visual Arts Club in Jeddah and directed plays enabling children to create actual productions.
Komsany played a major role in talent training at the Saudi Aramco program for the enrichment of knowledge at the “1001 Inventions” exhibition in Jeddah and Riyadh.
Her involvement in the 2019 Jeddah season with “Ozwa Street” boosted her theatrical career.
She later opened a private studio called I Stage, and created “I am Woman” as her first theatrical production as part of the activities of Dar Al-Hanan alumni on International Women’s Day.
Lana Kamel Komsany, Saudi director, scriptwriter, actress and theater coach
https://arab.news/pqfsb
Lana Kamel Komsany, Saudi director, scriptwriter, actress and theater coach
- Komsany completed her bachelor’s degree in theater from Northeastern University, Boston, in 2000, and has acted in and directed plays in Cairo such as “Al-Rahaya”
Saudi Arabia champions AI and sustainable growth at UN tourism meeting in Kuwait
- Saudi Tourism Minister says tourism today accounts for approximately 10 percent of the world economy, contributing about $10 trillion to global GDP
KUWAIT CITY: Saudi Arabia’s Tourism Minister Ahmed Al-Khateeb has called for stronger international cooperation to build a tourism ecosystem that is integrated, resilient, and future-ready, the Saudi Press Agency reported Thursday.
In a opening address at the 52nd UN Tourism Regional Commission for the Middle East in Kuwait City, he noted that tourism is “no longer a peripheral activity but a massive engine of economic development.”
“With an estimated contribution exceeding $10 trillion to global GDP, tourism today accounts for approximately 10 percent of the world economy,” said Al-Khateeb, speaking as president of the 26th UN Tourism General Assembly. The three-day conference opened on Feb. 10.
He pointed to the Middle East’s exceptional recovery, which recorded a 39 percent increase in international arrivals in 2025 compared to 2019, welcoming nearly 100 million visitors last year.
The minister highlighted Saudi Arabia’s driving force behind these regional statistics, noting that the Kingdom now represents approximately 30% of the Middle East tourism market in both visitor numbers and spending.
“We are proud that Saudi tourism’s uninterrupted growth has become a driving force for regional tourism, and we look forward to continuing our close cooperation with UN Tourism to share our expertise with the world,” he said.
Focus on AI
Addressing the meeting’s central theme of Artificial Intelligence (AI), Al-Khateeb emphasized the need for responsible innovation. He described AI as a key enabler for growth but stressed that the “human touch” defining the hospitality sector must be maintained and the workforce protected.
On the sidelines of the regional commission, the minister met with counterparts from across the region to explore ways to promote regional cooperation and alignment to enhance resilience and build tourism industries that can drive inclusive economic and social development.
Al-Khateeb also met with leading investors from Kuwait to discuss investments in the Kingdom’s tourism sector and explore new opportunities to leverage Saudi Arabia’s integrated investment ecosystem, designed to enable regional and international investors to achieve sustainable, long-term value.
The 52nd UN Tourism Regional Commission for the Middle East is the first held in the region since the 26th UN Tourism General Assembly, hosted in Riyadh last November.
That assembly resulted in the historic “Riyadh Declaration on the Future of Tourism,” which established a global consensus on sustainability, inclusive growth, and the responsible adoption of human-centric AI for the next fifty years.
