Government employees will be allowed to work part-time as tour guides, said Mohammad Al-Omar, director-general of the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA) in Makkah.

“License for this can be obtained only by Saudi citizens in government, civil and military services,” he said.

“Citizens need to be educated about this sector,” said Al-Omar. “They can make up to SR1,000 a day as tour guide and their license does not need to be registered commercially. Anyone above the age of 21 is eligible for this license, which is renewable annually.”

“There are ongoing negotiations with the Ministry of Interior to give this license to citizens over 18 and to women,” he said.

The SCTA website explains that tour guides can either be general, domestic or location-based.

Applicants for the general license should be in possession of a high school certificate at the very least.

Guides should also speak English or any other foreign language.

Domestic guides, on the other hand, should have an intermediary school certificate and should also be able to speak English or any other foreign language, in addition to being trained in the field.

Location-based guides should know how to read and write in Arabic and have good working knowledge of the field.

Applicants must sit an exam to be conducted by the National Center for National Assessment in High Education. Applicants will also be required to attend training workshops provided by the commission.