First Saudi to work in Maldives hospitality sector brings home her expertise

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The drive to develop the Saudi tourism industry is one of the main pillars of the Vision 2030 strategy to diversify the economy. (Supplied)
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Updated 27 April 2021
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First Saudi to work in Maldives hospitality sector brings home her expertise

  • Sara Al-Marghalani wants to play her role in introducing the Kingdom’s hidden treasures to the world

RIYADH: As Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 reform plan celebrates its fifth anniversary, citizens nationwide are looking at the many ways the ambitious plan has affected their day-to-day lives.

The overarching goal of the plan, to move the Kingdom away from an oil-based economy, has had the entire nation looking toward new industries and re-evaluating their perceptions of how Saudi Arabia could achieve success, and one of the biggest and most successful industries has been tourism and hospitality.
For some Saudis, working in the hospitality sector is a dream they have harbored for a long time, and they have taken great pains to find ways to break into the field. But some, like industry pioneer Sara Al-Marghalani, just “stumbled” into the industry almost by accident.
Al-Marghalani initially dreamt of a career in academia, even going so far as to obtain a master’s degree in linguistics to achieve that goal. However, things changed when she became the first Saudi to land a job in the hospitality sector of the Maldives.
An unexpected interview for a banquet coordinator position with a local hotel group started what would become her new passion, working in a field that very few Saudis had ventured into.
“I didn’t anticipate how fast-paced and dynamic life would be working with hotels and the hospitality industry, or how much my life would change during my career in tourism,” she told Arab News.
Within a few months of landing the job, she found her ambitions shifting focus, especially after a rapid promotion to sales executive as a result of her newfound passion. And when her direct manager applied for a general manager’s position in the Maldives, he asked her to join him as part of his team.

FASTFACTS

• A recent research study found that 90 percent of Saudi youth surveyed were interested in tourism and hospitality jobs.

• The study also stated that Saudi youth were starting to acknowledge the vital role that tourism and hospitality will play in the country’s new diversified economy.

“I received notice from the Maldives government and the Saudi Embassy that I would be the first Saudi citizen to work in the hospitality industry in the Maldives,” she said. “I lived and worked as a guest relations officer on a small island with a respected Maldivian hotel company called Coco Collection for nearly two years.”
Al-Marghalani said that the experience seemed to trigger “endless opportunities” for learning, and she continued to climb up the hotel management ranks.
She was later promoted to front office supervisor at the German hotel company Seaside Finolhu, where she spent a further 18 months.
One of the highlights of the experience for her was introducing herself to the guests at the resorts, who came from many countries worldwide. Most reacted with amazement when she said she came from Saudi Arabia and they asked a lot of questions.
“I told them of the Kingdom’s hidden treasures and its natural beauty, as well as its significant tourism potential,” she said. “This was before Saudi Arabia announced plans to economically diversify into tourism and promote its beautiful destinations. Tourists in the Maldives were eager to know what was hidden in Saudi Arabia and were enthusiastic to discover it for themselves.”

It is a dream to play a part in the world’s most ambitious regenerative tourism project and support the growth of Saudi tourism.

Sara Al-Marghalani

It was this passion that prompted her to return to the Kingdom and join up with the Red Sea Development Co. as a hotel front office assistant manager, something she said makes her incredibly proud and excited.
“It is a dream to play a part in the world’s most ambitious regenerative tourism project and support the growth of Saudi tourism,” she said. “I had planned to continue my work abroad in the Maldives, but after hearing about this luxury project and understanding its high standards in sustainability, as well as the regenerative approach to tourism, I had no other option but to come back and be a part of this ambitious team.”
Al-Marghanlani said that after several years working in the Maldives, one of the top luxury travel destinations in the world, she has brought back “endless emotions of passion and drive” and believes that she can be a driving force of change in the Kingdom’s hospitality sector.
“I have the experience to further the vision of the developer in creating a new luxury resort destination here in our Kingdom. I think I’ve grasped the concept of what a luxury resort is, what it means and how it operates. I gained invaluable insight into what guests need and how can we meet the high expectations,” she said.
Al-Marghalani also said that the tourism and hospitality industry has the potential to boom here in the Kingdom.
“As we become a globalized society, more and more people find passion in traveling. We are one of the few countries left which, up until now, has been relatively unexplored and I believe this is an advantage for us. Saudi Arabia has an incredible history and countless hidden treasures, which include the Red Sea itself, our unexplored massive deserts, and our extraordinary and hospitable people,” she said.
The Ministry of Tourism said in December that domestic tourism had exceeded expectations, despite the pandemic and 2020 being, in the words of the UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), “the worst year on record in the history of tourism.”
Saudi Minister of Tourism Ahmed Al-Khateeb told Bloomberg in September that a sudden surge in domestic travel — 50 percent more than officials had projected — helped to save businesses and jobs, as well as boost the economy.
Saudis’ attitudes toward the industry are beginning to change as well. A December research study commissioned by the Red Sea Development Co. found that 90 percent of Saudi youth surveyed were interested in tourism and hospitality jobs.
The study also stated that Saudi youth were starting to acknowledge the vital role that tourism and hospitality will play in the country’s new diversified economy.


Turaif traces historical, cultural mosaic to pre-Islamic era

Updated 03 July 2025
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Turaif traces historical, cultural mosaic to pre-Islamic era

  • Evidence of Stone Age settlements in the region
  • Has Tapline, Kingdom’s first industrial heritage site

TURAIF: Located in Saudi Arabia’s Northern Borders region, Turaif governorate stands as a crossroads of ancient civilizations and a gateway to Iraq and the Levant.

The governorate is home to a range of rich cultural and heritage sites, many of which date back to pre-Islamic times.

Heritage Commission sign board at the archaeological site of Qasr Duqrah, located 40 kilometers southwest of Turaif governorate. (SPA)

Among the most prominent heritage landmarks is the archaeological site of Qasr Duqrah, situated 40 km southwest of the governorate.

Adjacent to it lies a mountain known as Aqran, also referred to as Duqrah Mount, which has been recorded under the Comprehensive Archaeological Survey Program.

Zahi Al-Khalawi, a member of the Saudi Historical Society, said the site is among the Kingdom’s most significant archaeological locations because there is evidence of human settlements dating to the Stone Age.

He said habitation at the site continued through the later Roman period (2 to 6 centuries C.E.) and persisted into the Umayyad era (661 to 750 C.E.).

Another landmark is the Trans-Arabian Pipeline, or Tapline, one of Saudi Arabia’s most significant industrial heritage sites.

The pipeline stretches from the east of the Kingdom to its north, passing through Turaif, and has been registered in the National Industrial Heritage Register.

Known as the Tapline, this oil pipeline stretches from eastern Saudi Arabia to the northwest, passing through Turaif. (SPA)

It is the first documented industrial heritage site in the Kingdom, representing the early stages of Saudi Arabia’s oil industry and its developmental and economic significance.

Also noteworthy is the culturally significant site of Qaru Turaif, a water source developed by the Tapline Co. in the 1950s to help settle nomadic communities by order of the late King Abdulaziz.

To the east of Turaif, about 25 km away, stands Jabal Umm Waal, a historic landmark and northern gateway into the Arabian Peninsula.

The mountain tells the stories of Bedouin life and the passage of trade caravans and pilgrims traveling from the Levant and Iraq. For centuries, it served as a safe route for travelers making their way southward.

 


Saudi Arabia condemns Israeli minister’s call for sovereignty over occupied West Bank

Updated 02 July 2025
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Saudi Arabia condemns Israeli minister’s call for sovereignty over occupied West Bank

  • Kingdom’s foreign ministry said the move would violate international laws

RIYADH: A government minister’s threat for Israel to apply full sovereignty over the occupied West Bank was strongly condemned by Saudi Arabia on Wednesday.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the Kingdom “condemned and denunciated” the statement made by the Israeli official calling for the imposition of sovereignty over the Palestinian territory.

Such action would be a violation of international law, the statement said. Saudi Arabia rejects any attempts to expand settlements on Palestinian land, the ministry added, while reiterating the Kingdom’s position on the importance of Israel abiding by international resolutions.

The statement followed comments from Israel’s Justice Minister Yariv Levin saying “the time has come” for Israel to apply sovereignty across the West Bank.

Israel occupied the West Bank and East Jerusalem in 1967 and has built dozens of settlements, deemed illegal under international law, across the territory.

The Saudi foreign ministry offered its support for the Palestinian people in restoring their legitimate rights and in establishing a Palestinian state on the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.

 


Saudi ministry recalls faulty chargers over fire risk

Updated 02 July 2025
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Saudi ministry recalls faulty chargers over fire risk

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Commerce has announced the recall of 88,518 Anker portable chargers across multiple models due to a potential internal electrical short circuit that may cause overheating and pose a fire risk.

The ministry urged consumers to immediately stop using the affected products and contact Anker at the toll-free number 8008500030 to arrange a replacement or full refund, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Wednesday.

Consumers can check if their device is included in the recall and start the replacement or refund process by visiting anker.com/mmrc2506.

Users are also advised to verify the model number of their charger against the list of affected products on the Defective Products Recall Center website ecalls.sa.

The ministry reaffirmed its commitment to consumer safety and stressed the importance of promptly addressing product defects to prevent potential hazards.


GCC passports departments chiefs hold meeting

Updated 02 July 2025
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GCC passports departments chiefs hold meeting

Gulf Cooperation Council Secretary-General Jasem Albudaiwi participated in the 39th Meeting of the Directors-General of Passports of the GCC countries, held on Wednesday at the headquarters of the General Secretariat in Riyadh.

During the meeting, he reviewed the latest developments, including the Gulf visa project.

The passport departments of the interior ministries of GCC countries, through a series of joint meetings, are making efforts to launch a unified tourist visa project in the near future, the General Secretariat said in a report.

“Everyone is working as one team to keep pace with technological developments and security requirements in a world characterised by rapid change,” Albudaiwi said.


Saudi FM discusses regional developments in call with US secretary of state

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan held a phone call with his US counterpart State Marco Rubio on Wednesday. (AFP)
Updated 02 July 2025
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Saudi FM discusses regional developments in call with US secretary of state

RIYADH: Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan held a phone call with his US counterpart Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday, Saudi Press Agency reported. 

During the call, Prince Faisal and Rubio reviewed US-Saudi relations and ways to enhance the strategic partnership between their countries. The latest regional and international developments were also discussed.