CATEGORY: Focus Reports
Although lacking the capital buffers and advanced medical infrastructure of the more developed economies in Asia, Myanmar has so successfully limited the spread of Covid-19 through integrated fiscal, monetary, social and health policy efforts.
The city of Medina plays an important role in the cultural and historical make-up of Saudi Arabia. It is the final resting place of the Prophet Muhammad and is home to the Prophet’s Mosque, which the Prophet helped build after his flight from Makkah in 622 AD. Today, the Prophet’s Mosque is one of the largest mosque in the world and is the second-holiest site in Islam after the Great Mosque in Makkah. As such, Medina is an important religious centre for the world’s 1.9bn Muslims, with millions of pilgrims visiting the city and its holy sites annually. Saudi Arabia’s far-reaching development strategy, Vision 2030, has earmarked tourism – specifically Islamic heritage tourism – as an engine for growth in the Kingdom’s non-oil economy, with Medina set to play a central role in these efforts.
In just a few months, the global economy has been forced to adapt to a new normal. While this has created challenges, it has also accelerated certain trends such as digitalisation and the Mexican economy is no exception.