Saudi residents will soon be able to rent rooms to tourists
New law changes will pave the way for Airbnb style tourism across the Kingdom…
Residents in Saudi Arabia will be able to rent out rooms to tourists, as the Kingdom expands its tourism sector further. As reported by Arab News, major changes to the law will open up Saudi as a destination for Airbnb style tourism and businesses.
Approved by the minister of tourism Ahmed Al-Khateeb, the new regulation ensures the tourism sector reflects the continued changes being made in the tourism sector. Described by Al-Khateeb as “a promising step towards a prosperous tourism future,” to be eligible, residents will need to apply for a permit. A maximum of three permits will be issued per property, with permits valid for one to three years. He further added that these updates will “allow the ministry to strengthen cooperation with the private sector, and to offer job opportunities for the national competencies in the tourism sector.”
There are a number of conditions that must be met to achieve the permit. For example applicants must be Saudi citizens, and if a property is jointly owned all those with a say must agree to apply for a permit.
Those that receive a permit must comply with regulations for cleaning and maintenance to ensure the property is in satisfactory condition. As per the Saudi Gazette, marketing and advertising of the facility can only be done through the providers of travel and tourism services.
The news comes in the month after 10 new policies were introduced in December, all aimed at expanding and furthering the Kingdom’s tourism efforts. Ahmed Al-Khateeb explained that these pertained to an array of areas including regulations for quality control and monitoring of services.