Spanish hotel group Barcelo is planning to launch its business into Saudi Arabia’s booming tourism sector, with a debut expected before the end of 2025.
The new opening will add to an existing presence in the region with the Barcelo Al Jaddaf in Dubai and Barcelo Mussanah Resort in Oman. These properties have led to the group experiencing a strong uptick in guests from the GCC countries.
Growing business from Gulf travellers
In 2024, Barcelo says room nights booked by Gulf travellers were up 10% on the previous year, with the numbers led by guests from the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Oman. The company expects the number to rise by around 47% during 2025, as the business builds traction particularly in Qatar.
Travellers from the Gulf have been checking into Barcelo hotels around the world, but three notable destinations have seen a substantial increase in Gulf visitors. At Barcelo Coconut Island in Thailand, GCC visitor numbers were up 277%, while at the Occidental hotel in Spain’s Puerto Banus, the figure was 264%. But it was the Allegro Agadir in Morocco that saw the most dramatic growth, up 5000% year on year.
Also in the GCC pipeline at Barcelo is the upcoming Barcelo Hotel & Residences, opening imminently in Bahrain, and a property in Oman, scheduled to complete later in 2025.
“Our expansion into Saudi Arabia is a natural progression for a brand that’s seeing record demand from the Gulf,” said José Canals, managing director for Middle East, Asia, Mediterranean and North Africa at Barcelo. Speaking at the Arabian Travel Market, he added: “This is more than a new opening, it’s a long-term investment into one of the world’s most dynamic travel markets. We are excited to bring the Barcelo experience to the Kingdom and contribute to its growing appeal among regional and international travellers.”
In Saudi Arabia, the new Barcelo hotel will be joining a roll call of brands that have plans to open hotels across the country. Under its Vision 2030 plan to transform the scale of inbound tourism in Saudi Arabia, a number of mega projects are under way, creating whole new tourism destinations, from Red Sea resorts to mountain hideaways.
A group with four brands
Barcelo trades across four of its own brands, from a portfolio of more than 300 hotels with over 65,000 rooms. These are Royal Hideaway Luxury Hotels & Resorts, Barcelo Hotels & Resorts, Occidental Hotels & Resorts, and Allegro.
Away from the Middle East, Barcelo continues to grow in Europe, and add new destinations further afield. In Europe, it is working towards opening Barcelo Rome and Barcelo Estacion Adif in Cadiz. And the group’s Occidental brand has plans to add a hotel in Dresden, Germany. On the island of Madeira, there are plans for two properties: Quinta Funchal Palace Garden Hotel, that will be marketed under the Royal Hideaway brand on completion, and a further Occidental branded hotel.
