Saudi tourism facilities face penalties for non-compliance, ministry warns

The ministry announced financial penalties for those who operate venues without a license, with fines doubled for repeat violations. (Getty Images)
Short Url

RIYADH: The Ministry of Tourism urged investors and tourism companies to obtain licenses before attempting to run tourism facilities, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Monday.

The ministry announced financial penalties for those who operate venues without a license, with fines doubled for repeat violations.

According to the ministry, during recent inspections of licensed facilities, it discovered a lack of conformity of promotional material to regulations and failure to display contact information for duty managers in the reception area, among other issues.

Additionally, the ministry said it found instances of invalid licenses for some government partners in the tourism sector and failure to maintain cleanliness or carry out maintenance at a number of facilities.

The ministry launched a campaign to encourage hospitality facilities to adhere to licensing and classification standards and ensure compliance with the requirements and conditions.

It also called on users of hospitality facilities to submit inquiries and comments about the services provided to them by contacting the unified tourism center at 930 or through the ministry’s official channels on social media platforms.