Saudi Arabia is planning to offer new incentives to investors to build nearly 850 new hotel rooms in its Northwestern Hail province, its Tourism Minister has said.

Ahmed Al-Khateeb told businessmen during a visit to the province at the weekend that the government-owned Tourism Development Fund (TDF) intends to support new tourism projects worth at least one billion Saudi riyals ($266 million) to spur tourism in the area.

“We expect these projects to add nearly 850 new hotel rooms to the province…besides support by the Fund, the Ministry is offering new incentives and facilities to investors in the tourism sector,” he said, quoted by Almadina newspaper.

He said new incentives include a 22 percent cut in government fees in the hospitality sector along with a decision to cancel all municipality fees for the industry.

(Writing by Nadim Kawach; Editing by Anoop Menon)

(anoop.menon@lseg.com)

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