As part of its effort to regulate coastal tourism activities, the Saudi Red Sea Authority has issued requirements and conditionals for Recreational Boat Chartering.
The new regulations, the first in Saudi Arabia, were introduced to ensure better safety standards and improve the quality of services offered in order to obtain a Marine Activities Operator Licence and a Tourism Charter Licence for each recreational vessel.
Provided stipulations for quality, safety, and marine environmental protection are met, the rules state that any operator will be able to provide chartering services once a licence is granted.
First, operators will be obliged to issue safety instructions in both Arabic and English. Nautical conditions, vessel speed, and passenger capacity will also be assessed.
In addition, trip length, routes, entry and exit points, activities, prices, cancellation terms, and refund policies must be stated to charter clients. Any pre-mentioned fees cannot be charged to the customer if not mentioned by the operator in advance.
The rules, valid for 12 months and subject to renewal, continue the Authority’s pledge to meet the objectives of Saudi Vision 2030.
For foreign charters who do not speak Arabic, operators will be required to supply a legible means of communication, one that is to improve the quality of the charter trips.
For environmental requirements to protect the Red Sea’s marine environment, operators are to install best practices to preserve coral reefs and marine biodiversity while communicating environmentally conscious behaviour to guests.
All requirements can be found on the Authority’s website.