Saudi Arabia hosted 98,053,017 pilgrims across fifty Hajj seasons from 1390 to 1439 AH, with 54.4 million of them in the last 25 years of that period and 19 seasons exceeding 2 million pilgrims. The 1447 AH season drew 1,707,301 pilgrims, of whom 1,546,655 came from abroad and 160,646 from inside the Kingdom, with 1,485,729 arriving by air, 54,429 by land and 6,497 by sea.
Arrivals are mostly international, so an airline planner adding Saudi capacity should schedule around the 1.5M who come from abroad rather than the 160K who do not.
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Two hundred forty-four million, committed
Derayah committed SAR 244 million to a fund investing in artificial intelligence, enterprise software and advanced technologies, paying 40%, SAR 97.5 million, on 28 August, with the remaining 60% due over 24 months. The fund targets SAR 4.5 billion and is capped at SAR 5.62 billion, with roughly 15 portfolio companies expected.
SAR 244 million has been committed to a SAR 4.5 billion fund that will support approximately 15 companies. The selection of the Saudi AI cohort is currently underway.
Expo signs its first venture
Expo 2030 Riyadh signed a SAR 3.2 billion joint venture agreement with Mohammad Al Habib Real Estate Co. to develop and deliver "Expo Village," an integrated residential community and the organiser's first joint venture. The project will comprise 2,300 residential units for about 5,500 residents, directly connected to the Expo 2030 Riyadh site via Expo Station, King Khalid International Airport and Riyadh's transport network.
By choosing a SAR 3.2 billion joint venture instead of a standard construction contract, Expo 2030 Riyadh is sharing development risk with a partner rather than just purchasing a completed building. This approach suggests the village is designed to last beyond the event.
Spending cooled by 1.7 billion
Point-of-sale transactions fell to SR14.6 billion in the week to 8 August from SR16.31 billion the week before, with transaction count down to 253.4 million from 267.1 million, Riyadh accounted for SR4.88 billion of it, or 33.4%. Food and beverages led at SR2.28 billion across 58.41 million transactions, ahead of restaurants and cafes at SR1.9 billion.
The data shows that average spending has gone down. In reality, it's still the same people going out just as often, but now they pick cheaper options when they get there.
