RIYADH — The Ministry of Tourism has launched new 10 regulations to develop the tourism sector to keep pace with the renaissance that Saudi Arabia is witnessing in diverse fields. The new 10 regulations have been launched in order to contribute in providing an attractive environment for investment that takes into account ease of business, innovation and sustainability. This is in addition to improving the quality of provided services and protecting the rights of tourists, as well as supporting the sector and increasing the job opportunities. The new regulations have taken into account the sectors' needs. They were drafted after reviewing the opinions and observations of various stakeholders. It has also 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 of 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. These regulations would allow the ministry to strengthen cooperation with the private sector, and to offer job opportunities for the national competencies in the tourism sector, Al-Khateeb said. He added that the regulations issued based on the law included provisions for regulating tourism with its various types. He noted that it has also added new activities to the tourism market, and provisions for organizing control and inspection to guarantee the services' quality. He also pointed out that the regulations issued based on the tourism law were prepared in accordance with 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). It also comes in line with the directives of the wise leadership to build a competitive tourism sector globally. Moreover, the ministry has given dealers in the tourism sector a period of 90 days to adjust their conditions in line with the new conditions and standards. The ministry has also asked the dealers in the tourism sector to take into account the contents of the new regulations when practicing the tourism activities in order to preserve the rights of tourists, and the offered services' quality, and also to avoid being subjected to legal penalties and fines. Dealers in the tourism sector can check the new regulation through visiting the ministry's website, or inquire about it via the ministry's official social media.
