Political instability in some MENA countries prompted a 13% fall in tourist arrivals to North Africa and an 11% decrease to the Middle East, The National reported citing data from the UN World Tourism Organization. Tourist inflow to the region was negatively affected by lower demand for some popular destinations in Egypt, Tunisia and Syria. Hoteliers in the UAE have reported strong growth in occupancy levels, as travellers have avoided other destinations in the region. The UN World Tourism Organization said global tourism grew 4.5% y/y in the first half of this year to 440mn arrivals. Outlook for the second half of 2011 is however less optimistic given that recent months have brought increased uncertainty, hampering business and consumer confidence. |
Bahrain Middle East Bank made a USD 13mn full repayment of a loan obligation including a USD 1.4mn interest payment taking total repayments by the troubled lender to USD 43mn, the bank said in ... more
National Bank of Abu Dhabi (NBAD), the UAE's largest lender by market value, initiated a USD 17mn fifteen-year Uridashi bond, MENA's first ever, allowing the bank to directly access Japanese ... more
The GCC economies remain insulated from economic and political turbulence in the MENA region and globally but structural challenges continue to constrain sovereign ratings, ratings agency ... more