New rules for travel, tour guiding and hospitality expand licensing and operational flexibility, regulate booking and digital payments, and give tour guides greater scope to contract directly with tourists

Riyadh | BETH

Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Tourism has updated four regulatory frameworks covering travel and tourism services, tour guiding, hospitality facilities, and private hospitality units, as part of efforts to develop the sector’s regulatory environment and improve service quality and the tourist experience.

The updates come as tourism activity expands and business models evolve, and follow feedback from investors, operators and beneficiaries.

Travel and Tourism

The updated regulation simplifies licensing categories, broadens the scope of services, increases operational flexibility, and allows multiple licensing periods, while providing clearer rules on tourist rights and service-provider obligations.

Guides Can Contract Directly

Under the updated tour-guiding regulation, guides may operate across more than one region and specialization. They can also contract directly with tourists and issue booking documents, with clear pricing as well as payment, cancellation and refund policies.

The regulation also sets out requirements for issuing and renewing licenses, together with the courses and tests required for each guiding category.

Hospitality Is Changing

The updates also revise licensing, classification and operating requirements for hospitality facilities, regulate bookings, payments and digital marketing, and strengthen security, safety, staff qualification and electronic integration requirements.

New specialized categories for hospitality facilities have also been introduced, with classification more closely tied to operating quality and service standards.

As for private hospitality units, the system is moving from permits to licenses, alongside updated requirements for eligible properties, operations, safety standards and tourist rights.

Tourists First

Tourism Ministry spokesperson Nasr Al-Ansari said the updates are intended to apply new standards that improve service quality, while helping investors and operators comply with regulations and supporting the development of tourism-sector skills.

The ministry has made the updated regulations and compliance requirements available through its official channels, while continuing its “Our Guests Are a Priority” campaign and its inspection and oversight efforts.

The most important shift in the new regulations is not simply more regulation, but a change in its philosophy. As Saudi tourism expands, the focus is gradually moving from regulating the establishment alone to regulating the entire experience: from booking and payment, to guiding and hospitality, and even the tourist’s right to know what to expect before the journey begins.