Saudi Red Sea Authority

The Saudi Red Sea Authority is an independent Saudi government authority responsible for regulating navigational and marine tourism activities within the geographic scope of the Red Sea in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. It was established under a resolution of the Council of Ministers on November 30, 2021, with an aim to encourage and support investors, including small and medium-sized companies, enhance activities to attract targeted practitioners, and build human capabilities through plans dedicated to qualifying and training national competencies. The Council of Ministers approved its regulation on October 31, 2023.

The authority undertakes a range of mandates, including: developing policies, strategies, plans, programs, and initiatives; issuing the necessary licenses and permits to regulate navigational and marine tourism activities; identifying locations and routes for practicing navigational and marine tourism activities, in collaboration with relevant entities; determining infrastructure requirements and needs in alignment with relevant entities; establishing a mechanism to ensure protection of the marine environment in locations where navigational and marine tourism activities are practiced; implement motivating procedures to encourage and attract investment in navigational and marine tourism activities in collaboration with relevant entities; promoting navigational and marine tourism activities to attract practitioners; building a technological system to facilitate tourist access to all authority services through a single platform; and enhancing human capabilities through plans aimed at qualifying and training national competencies in specialties related to the authority's mandates.

The authority issued seven regulations for tourist navigational activities:

- Visiting Private Yacht Regulation to regulate the entry and exit of private yachts visiting the Saudi Red Sea geographical Scope.

- Marine Tour Operator Regulation encompasses terms, conditions, and procedures that regulate the activity and work of the marine tour operator in the geographical scope.

- Maritime Tourism Agent Regulation regulates the activity and work of the maritime tourism agent to provide services to maritime crafts to practice navigational activities within the geographic scope.

- Cruise Ships Regulation aims to determine the terms, conditions, and procedures that regulate the activity and business of cruise ships within the geographic scope. It also aims to provide the necessary requirements for the operator to practice the profession within the geographic scope, and to provide the obligations and rights of each relevant party in the operation of cruise ships, considering security, safety, environment, and health measures.

- Large Yacht Chartering Regulation aims to allow large yachts flying foreign flags to charter in the geographical scope through the charter permit mechanism.

- Marine Tourism Watercraft Classification Regulation aims to classify the marine tourism watercraft used in coastal tourism, in which related regulations will be issued by the authority that enables the practice of maritime and marine activities within the geographical scope.

- Marina Design and Operations Regulation, aims to organize the activity and work of marina operators, and the design of tourist marinas within the geographical scope, and to provide the main health, safety, and environmental protection considerations required from the marina operator to obtain the operating license.

The authority has a board of directors chaired by the Minister of Tourism, and its members include the Ministers of Sports and Culture, the undersecretary of the Ministry of Interior, representatives from the Ministry of Interior (General Directorate of Border Guards), the Ministry of Environment, Water, and Agriculture, the Ministry of Tourism, the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs and Housing (Now, Ministry of Municipalities and Housing), the General Authority of Ports, the General Authority of Transport, the Saudi Tourism Authority, the Public Investment Fund, the Jeddah Governorate Mayor, the Chief Executive Officer of NEOM Company, the Chief Executive Officer of the Red Sea Development Company, the Chairman of Saudi Water Sports and Diving Federation, and specialists and experts of no less than three and no more than five in fields related to the authority's work.