Cabinet: Cancellation of the Tourism Development Council and its regional councils

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The Saudi Cabinet issued a decision to abolish the Tourism Development Council and the regional tourism development councils, in a strategic move aimed at restructuring the institutional frameworks related to the tourism sector in the Kingdom. This decision followed a review of recommendations submitted by the Council of Economic and Development Affairs and the General Committee of the Cabinet, based on extensive studies prepared by the Council of Experts to ensure the regulations are aligned with the current stage.

Details of the decision and its organizational dimensions

The first clause of the decision explicitly stipulated the abolition of the Tourism Development Council, which was established under Article 2 of its previous regulations, along with the cancellation of all related regulations. The second clause included the abolition of regional tourism development councils, as part of the state's efforts to unify regulatory frameworks and modernize the governance system, ensuring that jurisdictions do not overlap between different entities.

Context of transformation in the tourism sector

This decision comes at a time when the tourism sector in Saudi Arabia is undergoing radical transformations and rapid development within the framework of the Kingdom's Vision 2030. Since the launch of the Vision, an integrated tourism system has been established, including the transformation of the General Authority for Tourism and National Heritage into the Ministry of Tourism, and the creation of the Saudi Tourism Authority and the Tourism Development Fund. These structural changes necessitated a review of existing entities such as the Tourism Development Council to ensure flexible decision-making and centralized strategic planning.

The importance of the decision and its expected impact

The importance of this step lies in enhancing the efficiency of institutional performance, as eliminating multiple councils contributes to reducing bureaucracy and accelerating the pace of work on tourism projects. This new structure is expected to lead to:

Unifying efforts: Ensuring that all regions operate in accordance with the national tourism strategy, which is directly supervised by the ministry.
Improving spending efficiency: Directing financial and human resources towards effective entities and direct projects instead of multiple administrative structures.
Improving the investment environment: Providing a clear and unified reference for investors in the tourism sector, away from the multiplicity of councils and committees.

This measure is part of a series of legislative and administrative reforms aimed at making the Kingdom a leading global tourist destination, capable of attracting millions of visitors annually and increasing the contribution of the tourism sector to the gross domestic product.