New route connects Grand Mosque to Hira Cultural District

The Makkah Bus project is a key part of a strategy to modernize public transport in the holy city, providing safe, reliable, and efficient transportation for residents and visitors. (SPA)
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Updated 11 January 2026
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New route connects Grand Mosque to Hira Cultural District

  • New Makkah Bus route connects Grand Mosque to Hira Cultural District

Jeddah: The Makkah Bus project has launched a new route linking the Grand Mosque to the Hira Cultural District, aiming to improve connectivity between religious and cultural sites, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Sunday.

The route offers direct access to the cultural district, including the Revelation Exhibition, the Museum of the Holy Qur’an, various educational facilities, and the Cave of Hira.

This expansion is part of the growing Makkah Bus network, which now comprises 12 routes, 400 buses, and 431 stations covering 580 km, serving over 188 million passengers on more than 4 million trips.

The route is implemented under the Royal Commission for Makkah City and Holy Sites and managed by the General Transport Center, which plans, regulates, and operates Makkah’s transport network.

The Makkah Bus project is a key part of a strategy to modernize public transport in the holy city, providing safe, reliable, and efficient transportation for residents and visitors.

Routes cover main streets, secondary roads, and neighborhood connections, offering an alternative to private cars, reducing congestion, and lowering environmental pollution.

The project aims to provide a world-class public transport system for residents and pilgrims and is part of the Pilgrim Experience Program supporting Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 objectives.


Saudi Arabia champions AI and sustainable growth at UN tourism meeting in Kuwait

Updated 12 February 2026
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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.