Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: The Saudi Tourism Authority (STA) concluded its one week promotional tour in the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), on September 18.
During the tour, the STA and its partners highlighted the most prominent tourist attractions offered by the oil rich kingdom.
The tour included Manama, Muscat, Doha, Kuwait and Dubai.
The tour came within the framework of the authority’s efforts to promote tourism destinations, attract tourists from the region and regional markets, and support and empower the tourism sector.
Earlier, Saudi Arabia passed a new tourism law which is expected to accelerate the development of an internationally competitive tourism sector in the kingdom which will drive business, innovation, and investment.
The law will establish new regulatory environments in the kingdom to attract tourism innovators and improve ease of doing business. This will allow new or experimental tourism businesses to receive special licenses and support from the government. It will also streamline licensing processes and procedures by creating a one-stop-shop platform for all tourism stakeholders.
With the new legal framework, the Ministry of Tourism will have greater control of the quality of tourism services offered within the kingdom, ensuring the highest standards possible for both tourists and businesses while also strengthening destination development.
The law also extends the ministry’s remit for swift collaboration with government entities to mitigate risks and manage crises.
The kingdom also approved a resolution that gives the Ministry permission to facilitate tax and custom exceptions or reductions with related government entities, creating powerful incentives for businesses to invest in the kingdom’s growing tourism sector.
It also enables the ministry to work collaboratively with other private sector entities to establish work plans and training programs, enabling job creation and training for Saudis and boosting human capital development in the Kingdom.