The Saudi Red Sea Authority (SRSA) has issued the Kingdom’s first requirements for recreational boat rentals. The move gives visitors clearer protections and gives operators a clear path to a licence.
Driving the news: The rules set standards for safety, service quality and marine protection. They apply to boat rentals for visitors and tourists in Saudi territorial waters on the Red Sea, according to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA).
Why it matters: The Red Sea is central to Saudi Arabia’s plan to grow coastal tourism. Clear rules build trust, and trust brings more visitors back.
The big picture: The authority says the step supports its work to regulate coastal tourism, raise service quality and protect the marine environment. It also supports the goals of Saudi Vision 2030.
How the Rules Work
Any operator may now offer boat rentals, but only after it secures an official licence from the authority. Operators must also meet set standards for quality, safety and environmental protection.
The licensing system works in two layers. First, the company that manages and runs the boats must hold a marine activities operator licence. Second, each boat needs its own tourism rental licence. A boat earns that licence after an approved company completes a technical inspection and the boat meets every requirement.
Licences last 12 months from the date of issue. Operators can renew them on request. Before approving a renewal, the authority reviews the operator’s compliance record and service quality.
Safety comes first. Operators must brief visitors fully on safety before every trip. They must also keep a written emergency plan in Arabic and English. The plan must cover fires, collisions and other marine incidents.
Operators must also weigh sea conditions, weather, boat speed and passenger capacity. If conditions look unsafe, they must stay in port. Furthermore, they must protect passengers while boarding, during the trip and while leaving the boat. Operators also need insurance that covers harm to visitors and to the marine environment.
Visitor rights are clear. Customers can see the full trip details before they book. These include the duration, the route, the departure and return points, and the activities on offer. Operators must also disclose prices, cancellation terms and refund policies. They cannot charge any fee they did not disclose in advance.
In addition, operators must offer a way to communicate with guests who do not speak Arabic when the trip calls for it. They must also run a clear complaints process and handle every complaint effectively.
Inclusion counts. Operators must state plainly how suitable their boats and services are for people with disabilities. They must also list the assistance available. As a result, more travellers can plan a sea trip with confidence.
A Rising Star in Global Tourism
The boat rental framework lands amid a tourism boom of historic scale. In 2023, Saudi Arabia reached 100 million annual visitors, seven years ahead of its Vision 2030 schedule. As a result, the Kingdom raised its ambition to 150 million visitors by 2030.
The momentum has only accelerated. In 2025, the country welcomed roughly 123 million domestic and international tourists, generating record tourism spending of SAR 304 billion (about $81 billion). Meanwhile, inbound visitors reached 29.3 million, and the tourism sector employed about 1.03 million people.
Tourism Minister Ahmed Al-Khateeb captured this ambition at the launch of the Saudi Winter 2025 program. “The launch of the Saudi Winter 2025 program represents a new opportunity to strengthen Saudi Arabia’s standing as a global tourist destination during the winter season,” he said. He added that the program builds on five years of achievements in visitor growth and spending, “in line with the targets of Saudi Vision 2030 and the goal of welcoming 150 million tourists by 2030.”
The Red Sea sits at the heart of this strategy. The SRSA aims for coastal tourism to contribute SAR 85 billion (about $22.6 billion) to GDP by 2030. It also targets SAR 123 billion (about $32.8 billion) in coastal tourism spending and more than 210,000 jobs. Furthermore, the Authority wants 19 million annual visitors along the Red Sea coast by the end of the decade.
Giga-projects back those numbers with concrete progress. The Red Sea destination, developed by Red Sea Global, welcomed its first guests in 2023. Meanwhile, its sister destination AMAALA opened to guests in 2026 with the launch of the Four Seasons Resort and Residences at Triple Bay. Together, the two destinations span more than 1,000 kilometers of coastline, islands, mountains, and desert.
By the numbers: Saudi Arabia’s tourism rise explains why regulators are moving fast. The figures below come from the Ministry of Tourism’s 2025 annual statistical report.
- 123 million: total visitors in 2025, up about 6% from 2024.
- SAR 304 billion ($81.1 billion): total tourism spending in 2025, a record and up 7%.
- 3 million: international visitors in 2025.
- SAR 176.6 billion ($47.1 billion): spending by international visitors.
- 3 million: domestic trips, with spending of SAR 127.1 billion ($33.9 billion).
- 03 million: tourism jobs, with women holding 47% of the roles Saudi nationals fill, up from 5% in 2018.
- 5%: tourism’s share of GDP in 2025, up from 3.5% in 2019. The Kingdom targets 10% by 2030.
- 150 million: the revised annual visitor target for 2030. Saudi Arabia hit its original 100 million target in 2023, six years early.
- 28: licences the authority issued in 2024 for coastal tourism, covering marine agents, marina operators, yacht rental firms and cruise operators.
- 19 million: the visitor target for the Red Sea destination by 2030, according to Connecting Travel.
Regulation Supports a Wider Tourism Strategy
The new rules follow a clear pattern. The authority regulates coastal tourism, and it has built the framework step by step.
Earlier, it published the Kingdom’s first yacht regulations. They cover licences, trip permits and environmental protection. It later widened them to cover visiting private yachts, cruise ships and foreign-flagged charter yachts. It then issued its first licences to tourist marina operators and yacht rental companies. By late 2025, trade media counted eight licensed yacht rental operators.
Al-Khateeb described 2025 as the Kingdom’s “highest-ever total tourism spending, both domestic and international.” Meanwhile, the UN Tourism agency reported in May 2025 that Saudi Arabia led the world in international tourism revenue growth. It also ranked third globally for growth in visitor arrivals.
The pipeline keeps growing. More than 25 hotels and resorts were due to open across the Kingdom in 2026. Red Sea Global’s wellness destination, Amaala, planned its first phase for early 2026. Saudi Arabia has also drawn more than $400 billion in committed tourism and infrastructure investment.
Growth did slow in early 2026. Industry reports say tourism softened by 5% to 6% over the first five months, citing the regional conflict. Even so, the Ministry’s long-term targets remain unchanged.
What’s next: The rules take effect 180 days after publication. Operators now have time to prepare. They can secure their licences, complete boat inspections, train crews and update their policies.
Visitors will notice the difference first. Clear pricing, bilingual safety plans and protected reefs make a boat trip easier to book and safer to enjoy. In turn, those standards strengthen the Red Sea’s case as a leading global destination.
