Post Lloyd’s acquisition by Havells in 2017, the brand has swiftly become India’s fastest-growing and top 3 AC brand in India, earning strong consumer affinity and channel affection.

Lloyd has earned acclaim for its unwavering commitment to product innovation and manufacturing excellence. The brand is renowned for delivering an outstanding consumer experience, propelled by its premium product offerings. With state-of-the-art manufacturing units in Ghiloth – Rajasthan and Sri City – Andhra Pradesh, it has one of the largest annual manufacturing capacity of 2 million air conditioners in India. These cutting-edge manufacturing facilities stand as pioneers in India, integrating Artificial Intelligence, IoT, and a Manufacturing Execution System (MES) into Lloyd’s operations. This integration positions Lloyd at the forefront of technological advancement in the appliances segment, aligning seamlessly with Industry 4.0 principles.

Lloyd’s focus in the Middle East encompasses a range of technologically advanced and energy-efficient products. The launch portfolio includes a premium range of ACs (Fixed speed, Inverter, and Hot & Cold), front-load and semi-automatic washing machines, frost-free and side-by-side refrigerators, and LED TV range. These offerings are meticulously designed to meet the diverse needs of consumers, seamlessly blending innovation with functionality.

Lloyd has partnered with TeknoDome, a distribution conglomerate headquartered in Dubai, for the desired coverage and reach in the Middle East region. This expansion marks a significant milestone for Havells, fortifying Lloyd’s presence beyond the confines of India.

Mr. Anil Rai Gupta, CMD, Havells India, expressed enthusiasm about the landmark expansion, stating – ” At Havells, our unwavering commitment persists in expanding our international presence, and we take pride in Making in India for the world. We are thrilled to introduce Lloyd to the discerning consumers of the Middle East. Lloyd has been synonymous with innovation and trust in India, and we are confident that our range of products will resonate with the preferences and lifestyle of the Middle East market”.

Mr Saket Gaurav, CMD-TeknoDome commented “we are thrilled to announce the exciting partnership between Lloyd and TeknoDome, as we bring the renowned Indian brand to the vibrant market of the UAE. This collaboration represents a significant step forward in our commitment to delivering high-quality, innovative products to our customers. We look forward to a successful journey together, combining TeknoDome’s retail and distribution expertise with Lloyd’s legacy of excellence.”

The brand, in collaboration with TeknoDome, has outlined aggressive distribution plans, focusing on availability in Independent Retail, selective Organized Retail, and the E-commerce Channel in a phased manner. Lloyd is committed to being an enabler of care and trust for the entire family, as beautifully captured in its signature slogan – Lloyd, ‘Care that makes a home, a home.’ The brand has tied up with – Bollywood star Ms Tamannaah Bhatia and Superstar Mr Mohanlal, as brand ambassadors in the UAE region. Starting December, the company plans to roll out an extensive awareness campaign for Brand Lloyd targeting aspirational consumers via digital medium, social media, influencer marketing, visibility drive/in-store, and PR activities.

The announcement took place at an official launch hosted today by Google Cloud’s Thomas Kurian, CEO; Abdul Rahman Al Thehaiban, Managing Director, Middle East, Turkey and Africa; Tarek Khalil, Director, Middle East and North Africa; Bader Al Madi, Saudi Arabia Country Manager, and attended by Saudi senior government officials, chief innovation officers, chief technology officers, and decision makers from the tech community.

Research commissioned by Google Cloud and conducted by Access Partnership, a prominent global tech policy advisory firm, estimates the new cloud region in Saudi Arabia could add a cumulative $109 billion USD in gross economic output to the Saudi economy between 2024 and 2030. Also, the increased economic activity from in-country cloud adoption has direct, indirect and spillover economic effects which would support the creation of 148,600 jobs throughout the economy in 2030 alone.

His Excellency Eng. Abdullah Al Swaha, Saudi Minister of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT), said during his presence at the launch: “Google Cloud’s investment is a strategic move and we are confident that it will bolster the Kingdom’s regional computing hub ambitions, as well as supporting our digital entrepreneurship drive and the acceleration of AI-based innovation and business models across the public and private sectors.”

Thomas Kurian, CEO, Google Cloud, said: “We are experiencing one of the most significant technological shifts in history, where AI is creating entirely new ways for organizations to solve problems, engage customers, and work more efficiently. Our new cloud region in Saudi Arabia will help both public and private sector organizations make the most of their data, leverage generative AI solutions, and create a culture of innovation underpinned by a modern, sustainable infrastructure with built-in security.”

In their research, Access Partnership notes that the new Dammam cloud region can support the growth ambitions of 1.2 million SMEs in Saudi Arabia. Saudi SMEs account for 90% of businesses and 60% of total employment in the Kingdom and Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 aims for SMEs to contribute 35% to the gross domestic product by 2030. SMEs that are early in their startup journey can apply to join the Google for Startups Cloud Program once it becomes available in the country in the first quarter of 2024. Eligible startups will have access to product and technical support, dedicated mentors, industry experts, and cloud credit up to $ 200,000 USD over the first two years.

Starting today, Google Cloud Platform Services are available to Saudi Arabia-based customers through CNTXT, a leading digital transformation company established as a strategic joint venture between Cognite and Aramco. CNTXT is Google Cloud’s exclusive reseller for local organizations and multinationals purchasing Google Cloud Platform services on a standalone basis through their Saudi-based entities. Customers selling their own solutions powered by Google Cloud can sell those products to Saudi-based end-users, and customers based outside the Kingdom can work with Google Cloud or any of its partners to host their workloads in the Dammam cloud region.

Abdullah Jarwan, CEO of CNTXT, commented: ”CNTXT is delighted to partner with Google Cloud to help bring Google Cloud Platform services  to businesses in the Kingdom, and to jointly work with the ecosystem of Google Cloud partners that will enable and accelerate the digital transformation and growth of organizations across local public and private sectors. In partnership with Google Cloud, CNTXT will embrace innovation and enable local and multinational organizations in Saudi to create value by leveraging the transformative capabilities that Google Cloud offers locally in the Kingdom.”

Abdul Rahman Al Thehaiban, Managing Director, Middle East, Turkey and Africa, Google Cloud, said: “Google Cloud stands as one of the pioneering hyperscalers to launch a cloud region in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, a clear manifestation of our commitment to leading the digital evolution of the region.”

Bader Al Madi, Saudi Arabia Country Manager, Google Cloud, said: “We aim to support the digital empowerment of every business, and every individual in Saudi Arabia. By providing accessibility to cloud technologies and AI to the Saudi market, we are actively paving the path for the kingdom’s digital transformation using the latest digital technologies to optimize business processes and customer experiences to meet rapidly-changing business and market dynamics.”

Abdulgader Attiah, Chief Data & Technology Officer, Saudia Airlines, said: “Moving from a cloud-first strategy to a cloud-only strategy with Google Cloud has been a game-changer for our business. We’ve selected Google Cloud as our cloud partner of choice as we are keen to leverage the power of cloud computing to support our growth, become more innovative, and achieve our business goals. Additionally, the fact that we are able to successfully streamline the airline’s SAP enterprise resource planning workloads on Google Cloud has been a critical asset for our business – helping us accelerate our digital transformation and improve our customer service.”

Abdulrahman Bin Mutrib, Chief Technology Officer, Qiddiya & Saudi Entertainment Ventures, said: “As the champion of entertainment in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, we are leveraging Google Cloud’s data analytics solutions powered by AI and machine learning to create seamless and personalized entertainment experiences for our future guests. The collaboration with Google Cloud will support our business plans to scale efficiently and deliver an exceptional guest experience overall, while remaining agile and cost efficient.”

Mohammed Al-Nori, Chief Executive Officer, Wamid, said: “Navigating the ever-evolving landscape of data privacy, security, and regulations in the financial services sector can be demanding. Having a trusted cloud hyperscaler like Google Cloud provides the expertise to overcome these challenges and unlock the full potential of data to bring new meaning to customer interactions. With Google Cloud, data monetization is not just a possibility, it’s a reality.”

The new Dammam cloud region is now part of Google Cloud’s network of 39 cloud regions and 118 zones that bring cloud services to over 200 countries and territories worldwide.  Organizations in the region will benefit from key controls that will help allow them to maintain high security, data residency, and meet local regulatory compliance standards, including specific data storage requirements.

JW Marriott Al Marjan Island Resort & JW Marriott Residences Al Marjan Island is scheduled for a grand opening in late 2026 and marks the debut of U.S.-based WOW Resorts, who is bringing their 25 years of legacy in real estate to the top tourist and lifestyle destination of Ras Al Khaimah in the UAE. WOW Resorts is reputed for developing real estate projects of fine quality and craftsmanship in North America. The upcoming project is anticipated to feature the JW Marriott brand’s exceptional hospitality, thoughtful design and enriching experiences.

WOW Resorts and Marriott International inked their collaboration on Al Marjan Island in the presence of Arch. Abdulla Al Abdouli, Chief Executive Officer, Marjan; Anwar Ali Aman and Bhupender ‘Bruce’ Patel, co-founders of WOW Resorts; and senior representatives of Marriott International.

Located on Marjan’s flagship island development, set against the picturesque backdrop of stunning turquoise waters, JW Marriott Al Marjan Island Resort & JW Marriott Residences Al Marjan Island will be designed as an exquisite haven for both travellers and those seeking the pinnacle of indulgent resort living. This extraordinary project will cater to aspiring homeowners, the discerning global traveller, nature enthusiasts, and aquatic sports aficionados.

The residential development and luxury resort will offer uninterrupted vistas of the vast sea and will comprise of an exclusive portfolio of 524 residences, featuring a selection of 1, 2, 3, and 4-bedroom residences and luxurious penthouses, alongside 300 luxury guest rooms. The ultra-premium development will also feature a curated selection of seven distinctive dining venues, an indulgent spa, refreshing pools, and a state-of-the-art fitness centre. These aspects, among others, will render this development an irresistible proposition for discerning investors and travellers across the globe.

Arch. Abdulla Al Abdouli, Chief Executive Officer, Marjan, said: “We are delighted to welcome WOW Resorts and the JW Marriott brand to our flagship development, in line with our commitment to creating unparalleled living experiences for residents and guests on Al Marjan Island. JW Marriott Al Marjan Island Resort & JW Marriott Residences Al Marjan Island are a luxurious offering that will boost investment opportunities for both homeowners and tourists keen on enjoying the perks of waterfront living in prime leisure hubs. Al Marjan Island offers a perfect blend of modernity and nature and with excellent returns on investment, it further reinforces Ras Al Khaimah’s appeal as an investment and lifestyle destination.”

Anwar Ali Aman, Co-Founder & Co-CEO of WOW Resorts, expressed his gratitude for the prestigious partnership and said: “It is a privilege to work with Marriott International and Al Marjan Island to unveil our flagship project in one of the UAE’s most eagerly anticipated developments. We are humbled by the opportunity to further enrich our portfolio in the luxury sector, and we extend our heartfelt gratitude to the government and leadership for their efforts in enhancing investments in the tourism, hospitality, and residential segments within the region.”

Bhupender ‘Bruce’ Patel, Co-Founder & Co-CEO of WOW Resorts, conveyed his pride in the forthcoming property and stated: “Our collaboration with Marriott International and our venture on Al Marjan Island represents a new chapter in our journey. With the demand for waterfront living on the rise, we are committed to optimising and elevating the experiences of all our cherished guests and residents as we embark on this remarkable project in the UAE, set on the enchanting Al Marjan Island, a prime investment destination in the region.”

Saahil Lalit, Vice President – Development, Middle East, Marriott International added: “We are delighted to strengthen our relationship with WOW Resorts and Marjan by bringing JW Marriott, one of our flagship brands, to Ras Al Khaimah. With its legacy of extraordinary hospitality, thoughtful design and enriching experiences, JW Marriott will be an ideal fit within the Emirate.  This signing also marks our third deal within Al Marjan Island, and we are excited to further grow our portfolio within the iconic destination.”

Ras Al Khaimah, and Al Marjan Island in particular, have witnessed a consistent and steady demand for residential and tourism developments, indicating a positive outlook for real estate investment opportunities in the northern emirate. The sustainable growth in Ras Al Khaimah’s real estate market and the appeal of waterfront living experiences have further attracted investors from across the globe, making Al Marjan Island a prime destination for lucrative returns on investment.

Database Observability is part of the SolarWinds Database Performance Management portfolio, which includes SQL Sentry and Database Performance Analyzer. With the new capabilities, SolarWinds now offers one of the most comprehensive Database Performance Management portfolios in the industry.

Database performance is critical to the success of an organization’s IT strategy and business operations. However, databases also lead to some of the most complex challenges that IT teams face due to the complicated, business-critical, and difficult-to-diagnose issues they often present. Without complete and precise database monitoring and observability, IT and DevOps teams struggle to accurately diagnose the root cause of performance issues—risking costly downtime, decreased quality of service delivery, and other critical threats to health and growth potential of the entire enterprise.

The SolarWinds Database Observability offering is built for the needs of the modern enterprise environment and helps ensure optimal performance by providing full, unified visibility and query-level workload monitoring across centralized, distributed, cloud-based, and on-premises databases. Organizations armed with SolarWinds Database Observability enhance their ability to understand database implications as new code is deployed, utilize real-time troubleshooting of database performance issues, and isolate unusual behavior and potential issues within the database.

“Databases are often seen as the opaque and unknowable black box of IT, but organizations no longer need to settle for that lack of visibility. Today’s enterprises require full insight into their system performance across the full tech stack in order to stay ahead of issues, prevent outages, and understand the health and scalability of their systems and services,” said Cullen Childress, Senior Vice President at SolarWinds. “SolarWinds Database Observability was built to reimagine and redefine the performance and capabilities of the database environment as it becomes increasingly complicated.”

Built for the cloud and designed to simplify database performance management, SolarWinds Database Observability empowers enterprises to identify critical issues, even those caused by complex dependencies between the database, operating system, and network. SolarWinds Database Observability is the latest powerful capability available through SolarWinds Observability, a fully integrated, cloud-native software-as-a-service (SaaS) solution that provides unified and comprehensive visibility across the entire technology stack to meet service-level objectives and optimize user experiences.

This marks the initial phase of the ongoing journey with EarthCheck’s certification process. As part of this journey, organizations progress through bronze, silver, gold, and platinum levels and ultimately attain the esteemed EarthCheck Master status. The Benchmarked Bronze Status acknowledges unwavering commitment to measuring and monitoring sustainability performance.

“Being a new resort, merely a year old, and at the outset of our pursuit to become a more sustainable hotel, attaining the Benchmarked Bronze Status is an immense accomplishment. We remain steadfast in our dedication to achieving more in this domain while upholding EarthCheck’s quality and purpose,” said Fabien Chesnais, General Manager of Movenpick Resort Al Marjan Island.

He continues “Every member of our team at Movenpick Resort Al Marjan Island is part of this journey. Each staff member undergoes sustainability training, and we’ve established a Green Team that convenes regularly to explore novel ideas and champion sustainable practices within the resort.

“We recognize the environmental and cultural assets that draw visitors to Ras Al Khaimah, making it an extraordinary destination with resorts adorned by pristine clear waters and sandy beaches. It is our responsibility to protect and responsibly manage these assets, and we’re resolute in fulfilling our role.”

In line with EarthCheck, Movenpick Resort Al Marjan Island champions sustainability, prioritizing local suppliers, embracing waste reduction, and transitioning to digital resources. Guests join the cause by opting out of daily linens change, using eco-friendly plunger bottles for bath essentials, and discovering Ras Al Khaimah through local walking and biking maps. A greener future awaits at Movenpick Resort Al Marjan Island.

This marks the initial phase of the ongoing journey with EarthCheck’s certification process. As part of this journey, organizations progress through bronze, silver, gold, and platinum levels and ultimately attain the esteemed EarthCheck Master status. The Benchmarked Bronze Status acknowledges unwavering commitment to measuring and monitoring sustainability performance.

“Being a new resort, merely a year old, and at the outset of our pursuit to become a more sustainable hotel, attaining the Benchmarked Bronze Status is an immense accomplishment. We remain steadfast in our dedication to achieving more in this domain while upholding EarthCheck’s quality and purpose,” said Fabien Chesnais, General Manager of Movenpick Resort Al Marjan Island.

He continues “Every member of our team at Movenpick Resort Al Marjan Island is part of this journey. Each staff member undergoes sustainability training, and we’ve established a Green Team that convenes regularly to explore novel ideas and champion sustainable practices within the resort.

“We recognize the environmental and cultural assets that draw visitors to Ras Al Khaimah, making it an extraordinary destination with resorts adorned by pristine clear waters and sandy beaches. It is our responsibility to protect and responsibly manage these assets, and we’re resolute in fulfilling our role.”

In line with EarthCheck, Movenpick Resort Al Marjan Island champions sustainability, prioritizing local suppliers, embracing waste reduction, and transitioning to digital resources. Guests join the cause by opting out of daily linens change, using eco-friendly plunger bottles for bath essentials, and discovering Ras Al Khaimah through local walking and biking maps. A greener future awaits at Movenpick Resort Al Marjan Island.

By Rick Vanover, Senior Director Product Strategy, Veeam

Amidst the sea of economic uncertainty, one thing is emerging as a non-negotiable for tech companies: a well-defined cloud economic model. With the escalating requirement to optimise costs, controlling cloud expenditure has taken a prime position on the priority lists of CIOs. Even though the first quarter of 2023 alone saw an overwhelming expenditure of more than $63bn on cloud services, recent history would dictate that as much as 30% of this spend is unnecessary. This startling fact puts a spotlight on the need for organisations to have a cloud technology plan that matches their financial expectations. Let’s delve into the three key areas tech companies should focus on.

1 – Understand the “why”

One of the first pieces of advice I give to businesses looking to move to the cloud is arguably even more relevant when assessing or defining a cloud economic model – make sure you understand why you are doing this in the first place. That means thinking beyond just a business outcome or “cloud is a cool technology that everyone is using”. Instead, you need to equate three factors here:

The business factor – From a business perspective, you need to be clear on the objectives you intend (or originally intended) to achieve through migration. Is it for attaining greater scalability or fostering agile development? Are you seeking cost reduction or chasing performance enhancement? Having this clarity will not only guide you in developing a successful cloud strategy but also shape your economic model.

The technical factor – On the technical side, there’ll be a whole host of factors that may not always equate with the business reasons for moving to the cloud. Things like functionality, resiliency, availability & security requirements – even if some of these are part of your original plan, expectation vs reality can be a real factor here.

The economic factor – So finally, we come to the all-important question, how much is this going to cost? If the business reasons and technical requirements aren’t aligned, which is often the case due to the disjointed nature of teams defining them, the economics will fall short of expectations, resulting in the dreaded ‘Billshock’. Therefore, it is vital to devise a tech plan and model that matches expectations.

2 – Consider the data lifecycle

A common pitfall that businesses stumble upon while defining their cloud economic model is ignoring the data lifecycle. You need to think about where data is going to sit, and what it’s going to cost – but this doesn’t (and more importantly, shouldn’t) stay the same over a seven-year data lifecycle.

Your economic model should walk hand-in-hand with the data lifecycle, taking into account its evolution over time. The cost of storing data should diminish as it ages. Fresh data demands more resources, residing on high-performance, transactional types of storage. On the flip side, data approaching the end of its mandatory retention period doesn’t necessitate cutting-edge storage. Cloud providers may allow you to use snapshots indefinitely, but this could prove as costly as production.

The data lifecycle progression can be broadly classified into three phases – performance tier, object storage, and archive storage. As you plan this lifecycle, remember to consider other crucial factors like ransomware resilience and regulatory compliance. If your data resides on higher category storage than necessary, you’re flushing money down the drain.

3 – Discard the security vs economy dichotomy

Security and resilience are often perceived as standing in opposition to economic considerations. This especially holds when businesses are looking to upscale with the cloud, but this doesn’t have to be the case. Remember that the two main driving forces behind the shift to the cloud are enhanced resilience against ransomware and reduced costs – it’s possible to do both. Immutability originated in the cloud, and cloud-powered disaster recovery is now a staple for most businesses, with the Veeam Data Protection Trends Report 2023 revealing that 84% of businesses employ the cloud for their disaster recovery function.

As businesses navigate the choppy economic landscape, creating a cloud economic model rooted in the ‘why’ and balancing business, technical and financial considerations is crucial. A well-defined cloud economic model is not just a “nice idea” anymore – it’s a necessity for survival and growth.

Vibin Shaju VP Solutions Engineering EMEA at Trellix

There is little rest, it seems, for CISOs in the Arab Gulf region. In its latest Cost of a Breach analysis, IBM estimated a combined average for the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Saudi Arabia of more than US$5.3 million per incident. Figures like these are stressors for GCC cybersecurity leaders, who face an uphill struggle to stave off the advances of threat actors amid the creep of IT complexity, the widening of skills gaps, and the dwindling of on-hand resources — according to Trellix’s recent “Mind of the CISO” report, 66% of CISOs in the UAE and KSA still believe their organizations lack the right people and processes to be cyber resilient and almost three quarters (74%) believe their current technology setup is insufficient.

Clouds, on-premises, users, and platforms operate under siege. Ransomware gangs have set their sights on inadequately protected crown jewels. Some of their campaigns are sophisticated, multistage assaults that do not discriminate on a business’s industry or scale.

To prevent the nightmare scenario, we must look to the endpoint. But to even see the endpoint we must address visibility and control issues that are the unfortunate remnants of the necessary cloud migration that took place during pandemic lockdowns. In fact, in the Trellix “Mind of the CISO” research, better visibility was cited, by security teams in the UAE and KSA, as the number one area where their security solutions need to get better. If we can only return visibility and control of endpoints to the SOC, then security teams will be able to act before, during, and after ransomware attacks to bring about better outcomes.

Today’s endpoint detection and response (EDR) technologies are a significant step beyond the prevention-oriented security tools of old. They concentrate on giving security analysts and threat hunters a window into attacker activity in progress, allowing detection and investigation. But they also grant before-and-after agency over endpoints to SOCs, empowering the CISO and their team to manage and protect devices prior to the attacker making their move and respond after the payload is dropped.

Leadership and Talent Demand

There is a noticeable trend of leaders from specific regions actively seeking specialists. For instance, companies from Pakistan, India, Africa, Russia, CIS countries, and Turkey have shown a keen interest in providing top-notch professionals through the TalentNations platform.

Specialist Roles in High Demand

We are observing a substantial demand for specialists in cloud solution implementation, Oracle, SAP, and AI. HR agency partners focused on permanent recruitment also notice market interest in project managers and security solution specialists. The demand is particularly high for roles of devOps, developers, web 3.0 (3) specialists.

Business Size and Attraction

Small to medium enterprises, especially start-ups, are the primary seekers of augmented staffing solutions.

In terms of business size, SMEs appear to be the primary seekers of augmentation, often driven by a need for agility and expertise without the long-term commitment of a full-time hire. When dissecting by business segment, the digital sector stands out. It’s no surprise given the UAE’s robust digital infrastructure, which, as Al Olama pointed out, “enhances a new culture.”

Financial Expectations

Businesses anticipate an average rate of $15-30 for augmented staff, highlighting the willingness to invest in quality talent. At GITEX inquiries and interest predominantly come from the upper echelons of the corporate world, including CEOs and CTOs, underlining the strategic importance of staff augmentation.

As for the experience of our platform, the average hourly rates for IT specialists with 3-5 years of experience across the top five roles in all regional countries range from $20 to $50. Junior/Junior+ roles can expect an average rate of $10 – $15 per hour, Middle/Middle+ roles can command $20 – $40 per hour, Senior roles range from $40 to $70 per hour, and Lead roles range from $70 to $100 per hour. As of now, the platform’s highest paid specialists include Data Analysts, DevOps Engineers, and Oracle solution specialists. Those with significant international experience can expect between $70 and $100 per hour.

Balancing Remote and Onsite Work

 While the tech sector is more open to remote engagements, other sectors like Gov or Finance still prefer onsite roles. However, a balance is sought, depending on the nature of the work and the required skills.

At a Remote Forum event in Dubai, Omar Al Olama, Minister of State for Digital Economy, AI, and Remote Working System, underscored that “remote work is now a main way of work and not an option.” He further highlighted that almost 46% of the UAE’s workforce were operating remotely, referencing data from the UK research company, YouGov.

Diverse Talent and Language Proficiency

In recent years, the Gulf region has witnessed a paradigm shift in workforce dynamics. Organizations are increasingly veering away from traditional employment models, leaning towards more flexible, skill-specific hiring practices. Staff augmentation has emerged as a practical solution, enabling companies to tap into a global talent pool, precisely when and where needed. This model is not just a stop-gap; it’s a strategic choice for businesses looking to stay agile and competitive.

Remote work preferences differ based on tasks and roles. Certain roles, especially those requiring intricate teamwork or sensitive data handling, might still favor onsite presence. Yet, the overarching trend leans towards a blend, balancing remote and onsite modalities. On the language front, proficiency in English is paramount, followed by Arabic.

Navigating Challenges

The journey is not without its hurdles. Clients have shared experiences of being misled about the proficiency levels of potential hires, emphasizing the need for transparency and due diligence in the staff augmentation process.

The future of work in the Gulf is undeniably leaning towards more remote and flexible models. Staff augmentation plays a critical role in this transition, offering businesses the agility and access to global talent that they need to thrive.

The collaboration aims at enhancing inbound travel by promoting the Kingdom as a top-tier travel destination in the region. The collaboration will also fortify corporate travel across the Middle East and boost inbound tourism from Asian markets.

Leveraging the comprehensive range of travel services offered by Almosafer, together with the global reach and cutting-edge technology and data aggregation abilities of Trip.com Group, both industry giants will open exciting opportunities for travellers and strengthen the tourism landscape of Saudi Arabia. Building on Almosafer’s regional expertise and deep understanding of the needs and preferences of visitors in the region and beyond, Trip.com Group will?increase visibility of the immersive and enriching tourism experiences in Saudi Arabia across its data-led and technology-driven platforms.

Muzzammil Ahussain, CEO, Almosafer, said: “As Saudi Arabia’s leading travel company, Almosafer remains committed to bring guests and visitors seamless travel experiences and support them in making informed decisions to easily access the Kingdom’s unique attractions. In line with our digital first approach, we are excited to expand cooperation with Trip.com Group to further this goal and support the ambitious tourism mandate of Saudi Vision 2030. The partnership will give Saudi Arabia higher visibility in both regional and global markets and together, we aim to elevate Saudi Arabia as a captivating destination for all age groups and interests.”

Boon Sian Chai, Managing Director and Vice President of International Markets at Trip.com Group, said: “We are excited to increase cooperation with Almosafer, to attract tourists to the beautiful destination of Saudi Arabia and transform the travel experience for global visitors. With our extensive brand portfolio and worldwide network, Trip.com Group is strategically positioned to enhance accessibility to the Kingdom and offer a seamless experience for inbound travellers. Trip.com Group is further an ideal partner for Almosafer Business in managing business and corporate travel across the Middle East, simplifying and streamlining corporate travel experiences.”

Together with Almosafer’s Destination Management Company, Discover Saudi, Trip.com Group will further explore collaborative opportunities to drive inbound tourism from Asian markets and offer a range of services for travel into and around Saudi Arabia through its extensive booking channels. An array of travel activities and experiences that showcase the rich culture, heritage, and natural splendours of the Kingdom can be curated through the portal of Almosafer Activities to enhance travellers’ journeys in the region.