RIYADH — The number of visitors to Saudi Arabia’s entertainment sector has surpassed 89 million during the year 2025, according to the General Entertainment Authority (GEA).
The authority said in its annual report for the regulatory affairs sector for 2025 that the total number of licenses issued last year 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.
These figures reflect the scale of activity and growth witnessed by the entertainment sector, within a regulatory framework aimed at enhancing experience quality, strengthening compliance, and developing related procedures.
The report highlighted that the entertainment sector hosted 1,690 events, with a total of 75,661 event days, and the participation of 6,778 companies across sector activities during 2025.
At the level of compliance and experience quality indicators, the report showed 92 percent investor compliance with GEA regulations across all licensed activities. It also recorded 95 percent 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. More
