Tourism Ministry updates 4 tourism activity regulations

Logo of Ministry of Tourism

Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Tourism updated four regulations, covering travel and tourism services, tourist guiding, hospitality facilities, and private hospitality units.

The updated Travel and Tourism Services Regulation simplifies licensing categories, expands the scope of services, increases operational flexibility, and provides multiple licensing-duration options, SPA reported.

It also clarifies the rights and obligations associated with the service and raises regulatory standards to ensure the quality of services provided.

The Tourist Guiding Regulation simplifies guiding categories and allows guides to combine more than one geographical area and specialization. It also regulates the requirements for issuing and renewing licenses, as well as the requirements and approved training courses or examinations applicable to each license category.

In addition, it sets out guides’ obligations when providing services and allows them to contract directly with tourists and issue booking documents, while clearly specifying prices and payment, cancellation and refund policies.

The Hospitality Facilities Regulation enhances licensing, classification and operational procedures, and regulates bookings, payments and electronic marketing. It also strengthens security and safety requirements, staff training and electronic integration. In addition, it introduces specialized categories for hospitality facilities and develops the classification mechanism by linking it to licensing, operational quality and service levels.

Meanwhile, the Private Hospitality Units Regulation replaces permits with licenses and updates application requirements and eligible properties. It also enhances operational, security and safety requirements, regulates obligations related to service provision and strengthens tourists’ rights. This ensures that units are used for tourism hospitality purposes in accordance with applicable laws and regulations and remain compliant with regulatory requirements.

The updates aim to develop the regulatory environment for the tourism sector, improve service efficiency and enhance the quality of the tourism experience.

Ministry spokesperson Nasr Alansari said the updated regulations and compliance requirements are available on the ministry’s website. He called on investors, operators, tourist guides and service providers to review the regulations, assess the status of their facilities and operational procedures, and complete the relevant requirements.

He added that the ministry is ready to receive inquiries and provide support through the Unified Tourism Center number 930.