Saudi to impose up to 11 million riyal fine on unlicensed hospitality facilities starting January 2025

All hospitality establishments such as travel and tourism service providers in Saudi Arabia must remove any unlicensed or unauthorised facilities from their listings starting January 1, 2025. The new directive, announced by the Ministry of Tourism on Sunday, applies to both local and international booking platforms.

The Ministry has also urged all hospitality operators to ensure they have obtained or renewed their licences before resuming business activities. Non-compliance with these regulations will result in severe penalties, including fines of up to 1 million riyals, potential closures of the establishments, or both. In some cases, violators could also face damage in reputation through "public shaming".

In addition to the removal of unlicensed properties, all booking platforms must also ensure that the listings on their sites are fully compliant with the official classification granted by the Ministry, according to Saudi Press Agency (SPA).

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These new measures, according to the Ministry, are part of a wider strategy to enhance the overall tourist experience in the Kingdom, ensuring that visitors can enjoy safe, high-quality services throughout their stay.

These measures come in response to reports from the Ministry, which revealed that some hospitality providers have been marketing their properties on booking platforms without the necessary licences or permits. This, the Ministry noted, constitutes a violation of established regulations and compromises the quality standards required for the tourism sector.

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