Saudi Gazette Report

RIYADH — The Ministry of Tourism has intensified its supervisory and inspection campaigns on hospitality facilities and tourism service providers in Makkah and Madinah during the holy month of Ramadan. This is in line with the directives of Minister of Tourism Ahmed Al-Khateeb to ensure the provision of best ever services for Umrah pilgrims and visitors as well as to directly address their complaints and redress their grievances.

The ministry has reinforced its workforce in the operation rooms established for this purpose in Makkah and Madinah during the last 10 days of Ramadan. This contributed to an increase in the number of supervisory and inspection tours.

The ministry carried out more than 900 such tours in Makkah, and recorded over 160 violations, of which 140 were related to poor quality of services while 24 pertaining to activities without a license.

In Madinah, the ministry carried out more than 210 supervisory and inspection tours, and recorded 60 violations, of which there were 54 cases of poor quality of services and six related to activities without a license, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

These tours are proof of the ministry’s keenness to ensure that pilgrims and visitors are provided with excellent services, and that is in implementation of the directives of the wise leadership.

According to the ministry, operation rooms in Makkah and Madinah receive complaints about hospitality facilities and tourism services round the clock throughout Ramadan. To date, over 1,060 complaints were received in Makkah, and more than 220 in Madinah and these were all dealt with within less than 24 hours.

The ministry stressed that feedback on the services provided by hospitality facilities and tourism service providers may be received through the ministry’s official channels on social media platforms or by calling the unified care center on 930