Saudi Arabia eyes China in maritime tourism push

Saudi Arabia is targeting more Chinese participation in its maritime tourism ambitions, a visiting industry insider said as Riyadh reiterated its goal to become a global tourism powerhouse.

"Come in and capitalize on those opportunities", Tareq Alshaghrood, general manager of investment planning and attraction at the Saudi Ministry of Tourism, told Chinese investors, developers, and operators.

Alshaghrood, in an interview with China Daily on the sidelines of the International Hospitality Investment Forum Asia in Hong Kong from Sept 9 to 11, said one of their aims is to broaden the potential of the Saudi yacht market and attract more traffic to the Red Sea through water activities like snorkeling, cruises, beach outing and diving.

On Sept 5, the Saudi Red Sea Authority (SRSA) issued the country's first-ever regulations for Saudi yachts.

According to the Saudi Press Agency, these include regulating their activities, outlining requirements and conditions, and overseeing the issuance of tourism and leisure licenses and permits.

Alshaghrood said the aim is to ensure environmental protection, sustainability, and adherence to all safety requirements as part of the SRSA's key role in developing a sustainable coastal tourism sector.

"The Saudi Red Sea Authority is one of the initiatives we launched following the release of our strategy because the water activities, in general … there were obstacles and issues," said Alshaghrood.

One hurdle, he said, was the yacht maritime regulation having multiple steps just to bring the yacht to the Red Sea. This is solved by the SRSA handling all of the regulations and acting as a single interface for users.

"It will make things easier for people that decide to bring their yachts to the kingdom and enjoy the beautiful Red Sea. And it extends beyond that," said Alshaghrood.