With tourism in focus, Saudi Arabia launches 10 fresh regulations

RIYADH - The Saudi Ministry of Tourism has launched new 10 regulations to boost the tourism sector as the kingdom gears up to keep pace with the modern world. 

Besides tourism, the regulations have been promulgated to create an enabling environment for investors keeping in mind ease of business, innovation and sustainability benchmarks. The fresh reforms have been introduced to improve the quality of provided services and protect the rights of tourists, as well as to support the sector and enhance the job opportunities.

Sectoral needs have been made the focus of fresh regulations after thorough discussions with the relevant stakeholders.

The regulations have covered the tourism hospitality facility, traveling and tourism services, tourist guides, tourism hospitality facilities management, tourism consultancy, private tourist hospitality facility, experimental activities, inspection of tourism activities, as well as the committees to consider violations of the tourism law and tourist destinations.

Minister for Tourism Ahmed Al-Khateeb has clarified that the new regulations come as a completion of the steps that the ministry is working on to achieve the goals of the general strategy for the development of national tourism.

The minister was of the opinion that the regulations would allow the ministry to cement cooperation with the private sector, and to offer job opportunities for the national competencies in the tourism sector.

The minster highlighted that the regulations have added new activities to the tourism market, and provisions for organizing control and inspection for quality control.

Ahmed Al-Khateeb expressed that the regulations issued based on the tourism law were drafted in the backdrop of international best practices that were selected based on the index of the top 10 countries in the Travel & Tourism Competitiveness issued by the World Economic Forum (WEF).

To comply with the new regulations, the ministry has given tourism sector vendors a period of 90 days starting from December 25th to adjust their terms of service to avoid penalties as well as provide top of the line services to the tourists. 

The tourism law can be read here.