RIYADH — The Ministry of Tourism has shut down as many as 67 tourism hospitality facilities, including hotels and residential apartments, across the Kingdom during the first three months of 2024. The punitive measures were taken after detection of various violations during inspection tours carried out by the ministry officials, the Saudi Press Agency reported. The ministry said in a statement that its officials carried out over 15,000 oversight visits, during which they detected more than 10,000 violations. It also followed up on the campaign to close facilities that did not comply with the relevant rules and regulations. The ministry explained that it had dealt with more than 11,000 complaints during this period, as part of the campaign titled "Our Guests are a Priority." The ministry reiterated that it would not be lenient in imposing statutory penalties against the violators. The penalties include a maximum fine of SR1 million or closing the establishment, or of both. It stressed the need for tourism service providers to obtain the necessary licenses to practice the activity. The inspection campaigns come within the framework of the ministry's keenness to ensure that hospitality facilities in all regions of the Kingdom must adhere to the Tourism Law and its regulations, especially with regard to obtaining the necessary business licenses for operation, in order to ensure the provision of the highest quality services to visitors and tourists. It also comes within the framework of the ministry's ongoing efforts to enhance sustainability of the tourism sector, and improve the experience of visitors and tourists. This is in light of the great leaps witnessed by the tourism sector, especially with regard to the significant increase in the number of tourists. It is noteworthy that the Kingdom had received more than 100 million tourists during the year 2023.
