His Royal Highness Prince Sultan bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, President of the General Authority for Tourism and Antiquities, recently approved classification standards for heritage hotels in a decision aimed at bringing them into line with the latest international standards.

For his part, Engineer Omar Al-Mubarak, Director General of the Authority’s Licensing Department, explained that the classification standards for heritage hotels and inns are consistent with the latest architectural and engineering standards and regulations followed globally in tourism investment at heritage sites, The Authority has adopted the «dalla» as its symbol instead of stars; this traditional vessel, used for preparing and serving Arabic coffee, symbolizes Saudi, Gulf, and Arab folklore.

Al-Mubarak noted that the adoption of classification standards for heritage hotels is part of a series of standards for the tourism accommodation sector, following the adoption of standards for hotels, furnished residential units, and tourist resorts, adding that one of the most important criteria for classifying heritage hotels is that the site and building must meet the requirements of the relevant government agencies regarding security and safety of the area, and that they be located away from valleys, hazardous areas, or restricted zones, provided that they are situated within or near a heritage site.

It is worth noting that the General Authority for Tourism and Antiquities began work on a project to establish a company for heritage hotels in February 2008, in collaboration with an international consulting firm, and under the supervision of an advisory group comprising the Public Investment Fund, King Saud University, and the King Abdulaziz Foundation. The expertise of the World Bank and well-known national consulting firms, recognized as international references, was also enlisted to study the project.