RIYADH: The number of foreign visitors who arrived in Saudi Arabia increased to 2.5 million in February from 2.4 million in January, according to the minister of tourism. Speaking at the fifth monthly virtual meeting with investors and citizens in the tourism sector, Ahmed Al-Khateeb stated that the Kingdom has recorded “historical figures,” in terms of occupancy rates and the number of visitors. He said that the ministry had trained over 100,000 young Saudi men and women with SR400 million ($106.48 million) spent to upskill them. He added that “their employment is the responsibility of the ministry and hence everyone should cooperate to achieve this goal.” Al-Khateeb highlighted the importance of industry players to adhere to new regulations set by the ministry, adding that “the ministry will play its role in terms of monitoring and imposing penalties on violators, especially violations of tourist guides.” “The ministry is keen to have qualified guides working in this field, who must have acquired correct, sufficient, accurate and flawless information,” he stated. Om Dec. 26, the Ministry of Tourism launched 10 new regulations to develop the tourism sector to keep pace with the growth that Saudi Arabia is witnessing in diverse fields. The new regulations encompass the tourism hospitality facility, travel and tourism services, tourist guides, tourism hospitality facilities management, tourism consultancy, private tourist hospitality facility, experimental activities, an inspection of tourism activities, and the committees to consider violations of the tourism law and tourist destinations. Al-Khateeb stressed that the regulations issued by the ministry are clear, and must be adhered to by all workers in the sector without exception.