“The SCTA, in record time, has been able to enforce control on accommodation facilities by appointing qualified and well-equipped inspection teams," said Abdul Rahman Al-Jassas, executive director of Riyadh’s Provincial Tourism Organization, which estimates 90 percent of available rooms are currently occupied in the country's capital.

Al-Jassas added that thanks to increased inspections, accommodations have improved noticeably. 

Ahmed Al-Obaikan, member of the Tourism Development Council, said inspections were necessary in order to ensure SCTA regulations were being followed. “As far as tourism is concerned, the accommodation sector was suffering from the lack of control and follow-up, which led to violations and lowering of service standards, in addition to the damage to good facilities posed by unfair competition,” he said.

Abdul Raheem Al-Ghamdi, chairman of tourism and hotels at the College of Technology in Jeddah, added that the inspection visits engenders confidence in the domestic tourism industry.

“There are competent and specialized authorities in the local accommodation sector,” he said in a statement to Arab News.

The SCTA is spearheading a broad initiative to promote domestic tourism among Saudis and expatriates in the Kingdom.