Less than three and a half years after the launch of its Vision 2030 tourism plan, Saudi Arabia is fleshing out the regulatory framework for its hospitality labour market. The country’s Ministry of Tourism has published a document entitled “Minimum Staffing Requirements for Tourism Hospitality Establishments,” currently open for public consultation, which sets mandatory staff-per-property ratios for the first time.
It is worth recalling that the minimum wage set for tourism roles subject to Saudisation (including certain front-desk and service positions) has been fixed at SR5,500/month (≈ €1,250/month), a floor that could serve as a benchmark for Saudised housekeeping roles in the months ahead.
Ratios differentiated by property standard
Luxury hotels and resort complexes will be required to have three employees per room.
Standard five-star hotels will need four employees for every five rooms, boutique hotels and four-star properties three employees for every five rooms, three-star properties two employees for every five rooms, and two-star properties one employee for every five rooms. One-star establishments and unclassified properties will be subject to a minimum of one employee per ten rooms, a threshold also applied to youth hostels.
Furnished apartments are subject to the same type of requirements, with tiers specific to first-category and economy residences. The text requires establishments to maintain this minimum staffing level continuously throughout the calendar year, rather than only during peak periods.
A structured compliance timetable
Establishments already licensed at the time the text comes into force will have 180 days to comply, against 90 days for those moving up to a higher category. Monitoring of compliance, and applicable penalties, will fall under Saudi tourism law and its implementing regulations, from 1 January 2027. Verification of staffing levels will draw on data from the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development, including employees attached to affiliated operators via the Ajeer platform.
A social reading: consolidating the Saudi middle class
Beyond service quality alone, this regulation can be read as an instrument of social and economic policy. By imposing permanent minimum employment thresholds, the Kingdom is seeking to firmly establish hospitality as a provider of stable jobs, in a country where building a national middle class capable of sustaining domestic consumption is one of the structural aims of Vision 2030. This is an editorial reading, one that will need to be confirmed by the Ministry of Tourism’s forthcoming publications on the expected employment impact of the text.
The text published by Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Tourism under its official Arabic title “تعليمات تحديد الحد الأدنى لعدد العاملين في مرافق الضيافة السياحية” (“Instructions setting the minimum number of employees in tourism hospitality establishments”).
The text was put out for public consultation on “Istitlaa” (منصة استطلاع), the official regulatory consultation platform run by the National Competitiveness Center (المركز الوطني للتنافسية), which reports to the Saudi presidency. This is the standard channel through which all Saudi ministries, including Tourism, submit draft texts for public and stakeholder comment before adoption — general portal: istitlaa.ncc.gov.sa.
This regulatory drive ties in with a second measure being pursued by the Saudi authorities: the phased Saudisation of dozens of tourism professions, with mandatory localisation tiers ranging from 50% to 100% depending on the role, notably for front-desk and switchboard functions. Both texts converge on the same objective: replacing, over the medium term, a growing share of foreign labour with Saudi workers.
A local workforce still in training
Muin Serhan, CEO of Amsa Hospitality, the owner, developer and operator of six hotels in the Kingdom, including the Radisson Hotel Riyadh Airport, is banking on partnerships with local educational institutions, such as King Khalid University, to introduce international service standards. Amsa launched the Amsa Academy in 2024, a training centre open to all Saudi graduates, including those set to work for other groups. According to Serhan, “hospitality is in the DNA of Saudis; that instinct for welcome is cultural. Now we need to train them to the standard international travellers are used to.”
A sector driven by unprecedented tourism growth
These new requirements come as Saudi tourism experiences unprecedented growth. According to the latest figures from the Ministry of Tourism, the country welcomed 123 million tourists, domestic and international, in 2025, up around 6% year-on-year. Tourism spending reached a record level of nearly SR304 billion, or approximately €69.2 billion, up 7% year-on-year, taking the sector’s contribution to 4.9% of the country’s gross domestic product. Non-religious travel now accounted for around 52% of international overnight visitor stays, up from 44% in 2019 — a further sign of the diversification of Saudi tourism demand, to which several international hotel groups are already responding with a sustained expansion of their portfolios in the Kingdom.
At a glance by The Hospitality Tribune
Saudi Arabia to mandate hotel staffing ratios from January 2027
New rule: Ministry of Tourism proposal sets mandatory staff-to-room ratios for all hospitality categories, currently under public consultation
Range: from 3 employees per room (luxury 5-star & resorts) to 1 employee per 10 rooms (1-star & hostels)
Compliance window: 180 days for existing licensed properties, 90 days for upgraded classifications; enforcement from January 1, 2027
Verification: cross-checked via Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development data, including the Ajeer platform
Backdrop: Saudi Arabia welcomed ~123 million visitors in 2025 (+6%), with tourism spending reaching a record SR304bn (~€69.2bn), or 4.9% of GDP
Parallel track: phased Saudization of 28 tourism professions, with localisation quotas of 50% to 100% depending on the role
