UK’s Thomas Cook launches Saudi Arabia package holidays

UK online travel agency Thomas Cook has added Saudi Arabia package holidays to its portfolio, with direct flights from Gatwick, Heathrow and Manchester. Seven-night package holidays cost from £439 (SAR2,215) per person, said the agency. 

 

The launch follows a “significant uplift” in long-haul bookings, with demand for the Middle East continuing to rise, added Thomas Cook. It said bookings to the UAE are up more than 700% year-on-year.

 

Thomas Cook offers 50 four and five-star hotels across Saudi Arabia including in Jeddah and Riyadh, with accommodation available on a room-only, B&B or half-board basis. Highlights in the five-star hotel offering include The Ritz-Carlton, Riyadh; Four Seasons Hotel Riyadh; and Waldorf Astoria Jeddah - Qasr Al Sharq on the Red Sea coast.

 

Flights operate seven days a week from Gatwick, Heathrow and Manchester, with indirect flights available via Birmingham, Edinburgh and Stansted.

 

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Peter Davies, Senior Commercial Product Manager at Thomas Cook, said: “We’re seeing a real shift in customer appetite towards new long-haul destinations that offer something genuinely different, with Saudi Arabia in particular offering experiences that can’t be replicated elsewhere.

 

“We’re thrilled to give customers the opportunity to explore a rapidly evolving country with the reassurance, flexibility and value that booking a Thomas Cook package holiday provides.”

 

Saudi welcomed more than 122 million domestic and international tourists in 2025, a 5% year-on-year increase, while tourism spending climbed 6% to reach SAR300 billion (US$80 billion), according to the Ministry of Tourism. The kingdom is driving the Middle East’s record hotel pipeline, with 394 projects (106,521 rooms), up 25% year-on-year, as more than 25 hotels and resorts are expected to open in the kingdom in 2026. 

 

Saudi surpassed its initial goal of 100 million annual visitors in 2023, six years ahead of schedule, and is now aiming for 150 million, including 70 million international visitors. In May 2025, the UN World Tourism Organisation reported that Saudi was leading the world in growth of international tourism revenues.