AGP Executive Report

Hospitality & Dining: Park Hyatt Maldives Hadahaa is launching a season-long Masters of Food & Wine series (Oct 2026–Apr 2027) featuring six internationally acclaimed MICHELIN-starred chefs, with each chapter tied to seasonal moments and local Maldivian ingredients. Luxury Travel & F&B Experience: Maxx Royal Maldives is set for autumn 2027, building a culinary offering around partnerships with chefs Wolfgang Puck and Dani García, as the brand expands beyond Türkiye. Food Tourism & Culture: Xinhua highlights Iraq’s wartime food legacy through the Chinese film “Once Upon a Time in the Middle East,” centering on “Xu Fu Rice Stew” as a symbol of hope for peace. F&B Business Moves: India’s Cremica Foods plans a US$72.82M IPO to fund international expansion, wider retail distribution and new product categories. Regional Hospitality Leadership: Preferred Hotels & Resorts expands its Legend Collection with 11 new properties in 2026, including a highly anticipated resort destination in the UAE, underscoring demand for destination-led luxury dining. Security & Travel Context: Ongoing election-era tensions in Israel and the Flydubai incident are again in the spotlight, with potential knock-on effects for travel sentiment across the region.

Kurdistan Soil Revival: Three unemployed agri graduates in Iraq’s Kurdistan Region have launched the first vermicompost plant in Sharazoor, using red earthworms to turn local waste into worm humus to fight salinity, hard soil and desertification. Iraq Dining Expansion: Smash-burger brand 80s is moving from Erbil to Baghdad, opening in Al-Yarmouk and betting on younger diners’ appetite for global-style burgers. Saudi Hospitality Growth: Mysk Al Wadi Jeddah Hotel opens in Jeddah with a restaurant and café, highlighting Red Sea tourism demand and construction resilience using crystalline waterproofing. GCC Tourism & Events: FHS World returns to Ras Al Khaimah in 2027 at Wynn Al Marjan Island, aiming to draw investors and hotel operators for destination and restaurant investment talks. Middle East Food Business Spotlight: Gordon Ramsay Restaurants Global reports record sales and continued Middle East/Asia expansion, including further openings across the region. UAE Lifestyle & Dining Season: As UAE evenings cool, outdoor cafés and desert BBQ plans return, boosting demand for casual food and drink experiences.

MENA Food Trade & Events: Abu Dhabi’s Global Food Week returns Oct 6-8 at ADNEC with a record 2,580 exhibitors from 92 countries, plus the Global Food Security Summit focused on moving food systems from resilience to readiness. Industry & Market Signals: A new forecast puts the global bakery products market on track to hit $322.3bn by 2030, driven by convenience, packaged goods and retail bakery growth. Coffee Culture: International Coffee Day (Oct 1) spotlights coffee’s origins and how the beverage spread globally, with regional interest in new café lineups and tasting experiences. Regional Hospitality: Travelmarvel unveiled its 2028/29 Egypt, Jordan and Morocco programme, including a Nile cruise on the Travelmarvel Sirius and new Alexandria extensions. Food & Beverage Business Moves: Layali Feast, a halal Middle Eastern concept, has expanded from a ghost-kitchen model into a sit-down presence inside a Bloomington coffee shop.

Healthy Menus Mandate (UAE): Abu Dhabi now requires hotels and restaurants in tourist areas to include at least one “healthy” item per menu category, with children’s menus needing at least half healthy options, using the SEHHI criteria and a grace period that began July 1. Tourism & Heritage (Egypt): Al Ismaelia was named a World Economic Forum Beyond Tourism Impact Star for restoring Downtown Cairo’s historic buildings through adaptive reuse. Airport F&B Experience (UAE/Global): Plaza Premium Group finished a five-month refurbishment of four Taiwan Taoyuan lounges, adding Taiwanese-inspired dining and private rest spaces—another sign airports are competing on hospitality. Market Watch (Global): pladis reported a small revenue rise but profit pressure amid tough trading conditions, while highlighting chocolate brand milestones. Industry Events (GCC): SaudiFood and SaudiFood Manufacturing 2026 kick off in Jeddah, drawing regional and international food-industry players. Food Prices (Middle East angle): Iran’s war-and-sanctions squeeze continues to push up household costs, with reports of prices jumping sharply.

Dubai Tourism & Hospitality: Dubai logged 869,000 international overnight visitors in August 2026, its strongest month since February, with hotel occupancy jumping to 66% and total arrivals reaching 6.97m in the first eight months—driven by a diversified, agile source-market strategy. Cruise Niche-Making for the Middle East: Norwegian Cruise Line is ramping up Middle East-focused sailings at Arabian Travel Market, spotlighting Great Stirrup Cay upgrades and pushing travel-advisor training for higher-value bookings. Sustainability Credentials in Abu Dhabi: Abu Dhabi Chamber awarded 35 firms its Sustainability Label at LIVEX 2026, including food and beverage, agriculture, hospitality and tech—signaling sustainability as a competitiveness lever. Food & Beverage Regulation Watch (US): ICUS filed landmark FDA petitions to expand contrast-enhanced ultrasound uses and remove outdated “black box” warnings for agents like Definity, Lumason and Optison. Iran Cost Pressure: Reports say Iranian prices have surged amid war and sanctions, squeezing households and even basic necessities. Turkey Tourism Crackdown: Antalya authorities detained hotel and tourism-linked figures in a drug-trafficking and alleged prostitution ring investigation.

UAE Food & Dining Expansion: Shvili has opened its first licensed UAE venue in DIFC, bringing Georgian shareable dishes like khachapuri and handmade khinkali to a hospitality group with 33 locations across five countries. Middle East Hospitality Growth: Radisson Hotel Group says it’s built strong momentum across the Middle East and Northeast Africa, with new signings, openings and conversions spanning hotels, resorts and serviced apartments. Saudi Food Industry Push: SaudiFood Show and Saudifood Manufacturing 2026 are set to convene in Jeddah to accelerate food production and supply. Food Safety Watch: Thailand authorities reopened a kosher restaurant in Krabi after a nominee-owner dispute, but a fresh inspection flagged products without required approvals and customs steps, with menus reportedly written only in Hebrew. Consumer Price Pressure: Japan expects price hikes on 3,153 food and beverage items in October, citing higher packaging costs and Middle East-linked crude and naphtha prices. Food Hygiene Incident: A Mumbai customer alleges finding a dead rat in a Mysore masala dosa at Borivali’s Radhakrishna Hotel, prompting a police complaint and renewed FDA scrutiny.

Middle East Cost Crunch: As Iran’s war with the US enters its seventh month, Reuters reports soaring prices for rent, food, medicine and even bribes are squeezing households, with restaurant owners unable to raise prices and families cutting back to basics. Palestinian Roots on the Menu: Chef Sameh Wadi is rebooting Minneapolis’ Saffron with a “Palestinian cuisine” focus, drawing on a family “Encyclopedia of Palestinian Cuisine” manuscript to preserve displaced culinary heritage. Gulf Travel Retail Buzz: Qatar Duty Free has topped Advantage Group International’s 2026 Global Travel Retail Voice of Supplier CORE benchmark, with rankings based on supplier feedback across spirits, wines, confectionery and more. Egypt Chocolate Exports: Egypt’s filled chocolate and cocoa-prep exports hit about $251m in 2025, up sharply, with Saudi Arabia the biggest buyer (about 35%), followed by the UAE and Kuwait. Saudi Food Industry Push: TDAP’s record participation and the Saudifood Show/Saudifood Manufacturing 2026 in Jeddah highlight continued momentum for regional food and manufacturing dealmaking.

Iran Cost-of-Living Crunch: Iranians are struggling as a US blockade squeezes oil-linked state finances, pushing up prices and rent and hitting everyday essentials—restaurant owners say they can’t raise prices because customers can’t pay. Egypt Food Exports: Egypt’s food industry exports climbed to about $6.9bn in 2025 (up from roughly $4.1bn in 2021), with growth led by dairy, sugar products, frozen produce and oils, alongside expanded grain storage under the National Silos Project. GCC Macro Headline: The GCC economy is forecast to shrink 6.4% in 2026 before rebounding in 2027, with disruption to oil export infrastructure and shipping weighing on the region. Hospitality & F&B Expansion: Accor and CITYVIEW announced Pullman Residences & Offices Dubai Meydan (opening 2029) adding residences, branded offices and three F&B concepts; in Abu Dhabi, chef Gregoire Berger’s Solenn opens as a slower-paced Mediterranean spot. Food Prices Watch: The Maldives reported food and beverage prices up nearly 6% year-on-year in August, with fruits/veg and tuna among the biggest movers. Dubai Dining Buzz: Salt Bae returns with Saltbae Steak & Burger at Dubai Mall, shifting from Nusr-Et’s steakhouse model to a more casual burger-and-steak format. Saudi Food Industry Push: The SaudiFood Show & SaudiFood Manufacturing 2026 kicks off in Jeddah, positioning the event as a major convening point for regional food production and supply.

Saudi Food Show 2026: TDAP marks its biggest-ever presence at the Jeddah Superdome, launching a Pakistan Pavilion with 30 firms across rice, pulses, beverages, meat/poultry, flavors and packaging machinery. Restaurant expansion: Rumi’s Kitchen opens its first West Coast site in Century City, bringing high-end Persian hospitality and a 310-seat, design-led dining experience. Food safety politics: A major U.S. outbreak and recalls are turning food safety into a midterm issue, with Democrats and the Trump administration trading blame over public health cuts and consumer risk. Tech for F&B: Foodics says restaurant tech is shifting from standalone tools to integrated, real-time systems and AI to help operators manage inflation and supply shocks. Trade policy ripple: The U.S. partially lifts antidumping/countervailing duties on qualifying Indian aluminum can stock used for beverage cans and lids. Market culture: K-beauty retail clustering in Europe is pulling in Korean food and grocery brands nearby, boosting footfall and leasing demand.

Food prices and energy squeeze: Heating-oil costs in Cyprus are projected to jump about €650 this winter (from ~€960 to ~€1,610), with petrol and diesel also rising—fueling knock-on pressure for delivery, farming and ultimately supermarket and restaurant prices. Food safety as a political flashpoint: In the US, a lettuce-linked cyclospora outbreak and major meat recalls are turning food safety into an election issue, with restaurants pulling items and scientists pointing to public-health funding cuts. Egypt export momentum: Egypt’s food industry exports climbed 10.8% to $5.128bn in Jan–Aug 2026, topping $5bn for the first time; Arab countries remain the biggest buyers (47% share), led by Saudi Arabia. Saudi industry spotlight: Saudifood and Saudifood Manufacturing 2026 are set to open in Jeddah, uniting the global food sector and local manufacturers. Dubai dining calendar: Dubai’s week ahead includes new Cuban nights, a Middle Eastern value menu at Awani, and family-friendly events—useful for operators planning promotions. UAE food cluster push: The UAE Food Cluster convened a Future Food Forum 2026, backing growth targets for the AED 40bn sector.

Saudi Food Industry Push: Jeddah’s Saudifood Show and Saudifood Manufacturing 2026 opened at the Jeddah Superdome, uniting 1,000+ exhibitors from 95+ countries to boost food security, local manufacturing and supply-chain investment under Vision 2030. Egypt Exports Surge: Egypt’s food exports hit a record $5.128bn in Jan–Aug 2026, up 10.8%, with growth spread across 110 markets and 2,731 exporters. Hospitality & F&B Talent Pipeline: Jammu and Kashmir launched a pilot overseas recruitment drive for skilled youth into Saudi Arabia’s F&B, QSR and hospitality roles, using authorised agencies under Mission SKILL. Coffee Culture Spotlight: A feature on Riyadh’s late-night café scene shows how coffee spaces are reshaping Saudi social life and identity. Foodservice Innovation: Jeddah’s Ember Dining leans on wood-fired cooking across European, Asian and Mediterranean flavors. Industry Watch: Bank of Korea flagged spreading price-hike moves across consumer categories, including franchise coffee and dining out, as inflation risks build. Quality Signals: Leeds inspectors reported multiple local eateries scoring 3+ in September food hygiene checks.

Saudifood Pushes Regional F&B Growth: Saudi Arabia’s Saudifood Show and Saudifood Manufacturing 2026 open in Jeddah (Sept 27-29) at the Jeddah Superdome, bringing 1,000+ exhibitors from 95+ countries and 100,000+ products across sourcing, processing, packaging, automation and logistics, with MODON as strategic partner. Hotel & Tourism Talent Spotlight (ME): Dusit’s Prateek Kumar, Areen Hospitality’s Essa Faqeeh, Hyatt’s Stephen Ansell, and Bahrain Tourism chief Sara Ahmed Buhiji are profiled for how they’re turning hospitality pipelines into day-to-day service, pre-opening discipline, and destination delivery. Coffee Price Pressure: The Bank of Korea warns of “domino” price hikes spreading through franchise coffee and dining, with volatility in oil and FX adding to inflation risk. Zero Waste Momentum in Türkiye: Türkiye’s Zero Waste Movement marks its 9th year ahead of COP31, citing growth to 220,000 buildings and a recycling-rate rise to 37.53% (2025). Food Culture on the Move: Cairo’s street breakfast scene spotlights taamiya (Egyptian fava patties) and Lucknow’s evolving “tehzeeb + Gen Z” food map now includes sushi, tacos and matcha alongside classics.

Israeli chefs in the US: Despite boycott calls tied to the Gaza war, Israeli restaurants are still drawing diners, with several openly marketing Israeli brands and chefs—highlighting how Michelin recognition (including a kosher chef’s Michelin star) is helping keep attention on food over politics. Gulf food trade & fairs: Jordanian food firms are set to join Saudi Food Expo and Saudi Industrial Expo 2026 in Jeddah, signaling continued regional demand for sweets, dairy, grains, packaging and ingredients. Abu Dhabi hospitality localization: New Emirati Dhiyafa Standards will require hotels to embed Emirati culture across the guest journey, including food knowledge and local flavors, with full rollout targeted for 2027. Saudi beverage expansion: Kinza says it’s not chasing giants but building partnerships and supply-chain muscle as it exports to 70+ countries and targets Southeast Asia via Malaysia and Indonesia. Palestinian hunger strike in Belgium: Two hunger strikers are hospitalized in Brussels as activists press for evacuation of Gaza families—an issue that’s also affecting food access and daily life narratives.

Middle East Beverage Expansion: Saudi brand Kinza says it’s not trying to outmuscle big beverage giants, but to read shifting consumer tastes as it expands across Southeast Asia, already exporting to 70+ countries and seeking local investment partners for manufacturing, supply chain and distribution. Regional Trade & Food Industry: 36 Jordanian food-industry firms will join the Saudi Food Expo and Saudi Industrial Expo 2026 in Jeddah, covering sweets, chocolate, bakery, dairy, grains, nuts, soft drinks, plus ingredients, packaging and food machinery—aimed at strengthening Jordan’s key export ties with Saudi Arabia. Hospitality Standards in Abu Dhabi: Abu Dhabi is rolling out Emirati Hospitality Standards, setting expectations for how hotels deliver “authentic Emirati hospitality,” a move likely to reshape guest experience and service practices. UAE Food Sector Growth: The UAE Food Cluster convenes a Future Food Forum 2026, banking on AED 40bn sector growth and pushing collaboration across the food ecosystem. Food Innovation & Ingredients: A Turkish study reports a Mediterranean herb extract (Micromeria fruticosa) added to beef patties improved cooking yield, pointing to more natural processing aids as consumers scrutinize additives. Food Safety & Operations: A Birmingham restaurant couple was fined after council officers found widespread mouse droppings and a dead mouse, highlighting ongoing enforcement pressure on hygiene controls.

UAE Hospitality Standards: Abu Dhabi rolls out mandatory Emirati Dhiyafa (Hospitality) Standards for hotels, requiring pre-arrival messaging plus Emirati coffee, dates and heritage dishes like harees and balaleet to make stays more culturally “authentic.” Food Manufacturing Push: Gulfood Manufacturing 2026 returns to Dubai (Nov 3-5) under “Powering Food Security Through Manufacturing Innovation,” spotlighting ingredients, processing, packaging, traceability, cold chain and automation as the UAE targets bigger local output and import substitution. ME Flavor Trends: Kerry Group’s 2026 Global Taste Charts flag Middle East momentum in “newstalgia” (modern takes on date, za’atar, cardamom, saffron), layered spice profiles, and fruit-forward hydration. Research for Meat Processing: A Turkish study finds Mediterranean herb extract (Micromeria fruticosa) mixed into beef patties can improve cooking yield, pointing to natural ingredient options for processed meats. Food Safety & Compliance: A Kenya court rejects Wow Beverages’ bid to block Namaqua Wines’ termination, while a UK case fines a restaurant couple over mouse infestation—both underscoring how contracts and hygiene can make or break food businesses.

Trade & Supply Chains: The UK food and drink trade gap has widened sharply, with exports down 11.7% in H1 2026 to 4bn kg while imports hit 19.1bn kg (near-record), pushing the deficit above £21bn since 2000; FDF flags Brexit friction and geopolitical disruption, including Middle East-linked drops such as UAE exports down almost a quarter amid the US-Israel war on Iran. Beverage Innovation: Carbonated soft drinks are seeing a push toward reduced sugar, “clean label” positioning and functional benefits, with brands targeting Gen Z via flavour variety, premium launches and low-risk partnerships—Innova notes the Middle East as a promising growth region where big players face less dominance. Hospitality & Culture: Abu Dhabi hotels will be required from Q1 2027 to feature Emirati cultural touchpoints—at least three Emirati dishes on menus and staff in Emirati attire—aimed at strengthening local heritage for visitors. Local Food Scene: Istanbul’s Türkiye Culture Route Festival runs Sept 26–Oct 4, adding concerts and exhibitions plus “gastronomic events” across the city. Legal/Business Risk: Kenya’s High Court rejected Wow Beverages’ bid to block Namaqua Wines from ending a distribution relationship, saying no exclusive arrangement was formalised in writing.