05/04/2026 01:28 AST
Saudi Arabia's General Entertainment Authority announced that the number of visitors to the Kingdom's entertainment sector during 2025 exceeded 89 million visitors.
In its annual report for the regulatory affairs sector for 2025, it said that this figure reflects the scale of activity and growth witnessed by the sector, within a regulatory framework aimed at enhancing the quality of experience, strengthening compliance, and developing related procedures.
The authority highlighted that the sector hosted 1,690 events, with a total of 75,661 event days, and the participation of 6,778 companies across the sector's activities during 2025.
The total number of licenses issued in 2025 reached 6,490. In addition, 472 entertainment destinations were licensed during the year, compared to 422 destinations in 2024, representing a 12 percent increase. The total number of active entertainment destinations reached 975, compared to 513 destinations in 2024.
At the level of compliance and experience quality indicators, the report showed a 92 percent investor compliance rate with GEA regulations across all licensed activities. It also recorded 95 percent compliance for licensed entertainment events, while the percentage of licensed entertainment destinations reached 93 percent.
The sector further achieved a 65 percent improvement in the quality of entertainment options and 74 percent coverage in measuring visitor satisfaction across entertainment offerings.
In terms of oversight and violation reduction, the report noted increased investor awareness and higher compliance levels across the sector, which led to a decline in recorded violations from 6,290 violations in 2024 to 4,662 violations in 2025, representing a 25.8 percent decrease. In addition, 92,025 inspection visits were conducted across all administrative regions of the Kingdom.
With regard to visitor experience measurement, the total number of responses collected through visitor satisfaction surveys exceeded 755,000 responses, while the overall satisfaction index for entertainment activities covered by the measurement reached 95 percent.
More than 9,400 field survey visits were also conducted across various entertainment activities as part of ongoing monitoring and evaluation efforts.
Within the classification framework, the number of investors included in the classification scope reached 1,132 investors, with 1,132 certificates issued.
The program also saw the development of 27 standards, the implementation of 3,530 field visits, and the completion of two workshops targeting investors within the classification scope, benefiting more than 200 participants.
In the area of policies, partnerships, and consumer protection, the report indicated that 5,831 complaints, 1,728 objections, and 1,145 reports were handled during 2025. It also noted an update to the authority's legislative environment draft and its submission to the Istitlaa platform, as well as alignment efforts with 45 government entities.
The General Entertainment Authority is the regulatory and legislative body for the entertainment sector in the Kingdom, working to develop the regulatory environment, raise compliance levels, enhance the quality of services and entertainment experiences, and empower investors.
These efforts align with the objectives of Saudi Vision 2030, which aim to diversify the economy, improve the quality of life, and develop promising sectors, reinforcing the Kingdom's position as a global entertainment destination.
Arab News
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