Staff Writer

Bringing The World to Saudi

Articles

Saudi Arabia

Tourism Development Fund (TDF) and IMPACT46 Invest in Al Matar Group for Travel and Tourism

TDF and IMPACT46 Invest in Al Matar Group for Travel and Tourism

Entrepreneurship

Ashok is a storyteller who uses numbers as his medium. He loves to crunch data, analyze it, and investigate deeper questions until the stories begin to emerge on their own. Ashok comes from a finance and consulting background, having worked in the strategy consulting and private equity fields across the Middle East and Emerging Asia for over 15 years, prior to becoming a business writer. When it comes to tech stories, Ashok has a penchant for startups in the fintech, B2B SaaS, AI and ML spaces. He loves writing about Venture Capital, M&A and the general investor landscape of startup ecosystems.
Ashok holds a Bachelor’s of Science in Electrical Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology, as well as a diploma in Finance. He speaks English and Hindi fluently.

Researcher

Ashok Raman

SAUDIA’s Transformation to Become the Wings of Vision 2030

Economies

Anamika  is a change maker with 15+ years of management consulting, project management, event management and research experience. Having worked for Accenture for over a decade, she began her career overseeing change management and digital learning and development programs across Fortune 500 clients globally. 
Today, Anamika works with select clients on large-scale change programs, and writes whenever she can. As a life-long learner, and lover of writing, she found herself becoming an excellent interviewer, story-teller and speaker. She is passionate about giving voice to startups, projects and new technologies that are nearing break-through. She is curious about the intersection between technology, human behaviour and wellness, and is often most intrigued by startups that help people live better and happier lives.  
Anamika received her BA in Economics and Chinese Studies from the University of Nottingham. She is London born and bred, and splits her time between London and Dubai. She is a certified HIIT instructor, NLP coach and world traveler with a love of experimental cooking.

Anamika Patel

Explore the Camel Culture in Saudi Arabia, Home of the Camel

Saudi Arabia: Home of the Camel

Erika is Co-Founder and Chief Content Officer at Lucidity Insights. Having  spent 15 years advising Fortune 500 companies  and multinational conglomerates  from around the world on how to grow businesses in emerging markets, Erika found that data and knowledge underpinned and empowered strategic decision-making. The creation of Lucidity Insights was inspired by the idea that strategic C-suite level data and insights could empower startups and Venture Capitalists in the MENAPT region, elevating the entire regional entrepreneurial ecosystem. 

Data is not just for the Chief Executive, or the data analyst after-all. Democratizing access to quality data across the tech ecosystem will elevate every startup and every investors’ decision-making, and thus, benefit the economy, overall.

Erika has worked with data to develop comprehensive business success stories and strategies for her entire professional career. She is a thought leader in growth strategies in fast-moving emerging markets, with a focus on Middle Eastern and Asian Markets. She is an expert on the startup ecosystems in the Middle East, and a thought leader on entrepreneurship, disruptive technologies and sustainability. She has worked with both government and corporates clients, across over 30 different industry verticals and in over 40 countries. She is best described as a data-curious strategic thinker and advisor, who also happens to be an  enthusiastic storyteller and writer.

Erika graduated from Stanford’s Graduate School of Business with an Executive MBA (MSx), and also holds degrees from McGill University (B.Sc Neuroscience) and the University of Cambridge (Sustainability in Business). She speaks English and Japanese, is conversational in French, and speaks survival Arabic. In her spare time, she is an avid globe trotter, having travelled to over 70 countries, and counts scuba-diving, free-diving and yoga among her favourite activities. She is a self-described wellness-junkie and adventure enthusiast. She is also a dog mum.

Co-Founder & Chief Content Officer

Erika Masako Welch

10 Things to Know about the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

The Kingdom's Thirst for Sport & Entertaiment

Saudi's New Leisure Tourism Sector

Business Tourism Industry in The Saudi Arabia

Business Tourism in The Kingdom Saudi Arabia

Religious Tourism in Saudi Makes Mecca the 13th Most Visited City in 2019

Why The World Needs Tourism to Recover... ASAP

We are a team of passionate Researchers, Data Junkies, and Story-Tellers that believe there is not enough quality business insights and compelling data analysis available in the marketplace, told in the formats users want. We want to give an insider's look into the industries, businesses and economies that are changing the world today, so our users can become inspired, empowered and equipped to run their businesses as best they can.

Lucidity Insights Research Team

Infobytes

Saudi’s total employees in tourism industries from 2008 to 2018

A Significant Portion of Saudi’s Vision 2030 rests on Tourism

Mecca is 13th Most Travelled to Destination City in the World

Global Top 5 Destination Cities by International Overnight Visitor Spend (2018)

Tourism Contribution to Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's GDP – 2016 vs 2019 vs 2030 Target

Number of Tourism Visits in Saudi Arabia – 2019 vs 2030 Target

Saudi Vision 2030 Major Tourism Milestones

Blooomberg Covid Resilience Ranking (February 2022)

Religious Tourism in Saudi Arabia (2016-2020)

The Objectives of Doyof Al Rahman Program

Business Tourism in Saudi Arabia: Tourism type and number of trips in 2016

Percentage of tourism spending

KSA Hotel Supply (No. of Branded Hotel Keys)

Seven Saudi Tourism Destinations to be ready by end of 2022

The Giga-Projects & Mega Projects Shaping Leisure Tourism in the Kingdom  (non-exhaustive)

Quran & Athan Competition

Saudi Arabia’s Sports Event Industry Revenue (in US$B)

Major Saudi Tourism Stakeholders (non-exhaustive)

Country Populations Under 40 years old

Top 25 Largest Economies in 2021: GDP (USD Billions)

Top 25 Wealthiest Economies in 2021: GDP PPP (USD Billions)

Economic Wealth (GDP PPP) and Size + Median Age of Population

KSA GDP Contribution by Sector  (2020)

Saudi trade: Goods and Services by Region

Saudi Arabia's Digitally Inclined Population

Internet Penetration Growth Benchmark (%, 2012-2019)

Global Tourism: International Tourism Arrivals & Tourism Spend

In 2019, Tourism contributed to 10.4% of Global GDP

Most visited countries in MENA in 2019

Tourism Employment by Country 2018 (Total Employees)

Saudi Arabia’s Oil Revenue and Non-Oil Revenue (2011-2020, SAR Billion)

Saudi Arabia’s Youth Bulge: 2009, 2020 and 2030 Expected Workforce

Saudi Unemployment Rate (2014-2021 and Forecast)

Saudi Female Workforce Participation

Inbound tourism in Saudi Arabia by purpose of visit, 2016 vs 2019 (share)

Aby Sam Thomas

Special Reports

United States

The Business of Impact Investing in 2023 - Test

Crypto, Blockchain & Web3

India

Special Report: "The Growing Business of Foodtech"

The Growing Business of Foodtech

Food Tech

Special Report: "Sustainable International Trade for a Resilient Future"

Sustainable International Trade for a Resilient Future

Sustainability

Special Report: "Opportunities in Web3"

Opportunities in Web3

Dubai's Venture Capital Ecosystem

The Future of Fintech in Africa

Fintech

Diriyah and the Giga Projects: Defining the New Saudi Arabia

Tourism

Saudi Arabia's Startup Ecosystem Evolution 2010-2022

The Evolution of Saudi Arabia's Startup Ecosystem 2010-2022

Dubai's Digital Economy and Its Growing Startup Ecosystem

Dubai’s Digital Economy and Its Expanding Startup Ecosystem

MENA's M&A Landscape 2017-2022: A Comprehensive Review

The Middle East & North Africa’s M&A Landscape 2017-2022

Sustainable Innovations and Startups in the MENA Region

Innovations In International Trade

Egypt's Burgeoning Start-Up Ecosystem

Dubai’s Roadmap to Becoming the Digital Economy Capital of the World

The Electric Vehicle Revolution: Growth & Challenges Ahead

The Electric Vehicle Revolution Has Arrived

Shaping the Future of Fintech in MENA

Shaping The Future of Fintech

An ultimate guide to fintech in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

The Crypto Universe: Insights into Blockchain & DeFi

The Crypto Universe

Primed for Growth Cloud Kitchens in the GCC

Primed for Growth: Cloud Kitchens in the GCC

Spotlights

An Insider’s Look: An Aviation Entrepreneur Tells Us How Saudi Arabia Has Changed Over the Past 10 Years