RIYADH: The Ministry of Municipalities and Housing has launched the “Basta Khair Saudi Arabia 2026” initiative.

Now in its second year, the scheme aims to support, develop, and empower street vendors by regulating their activities, providing approved sales locations, enhancing quality of practice and improving visitor experience.

In line with the ministry’s objectives to enhance the urban landscape and quality of life in cities across the Kingdom it will begin with five locations in each municipality and target up to 350 sales outlets per area, reported the Saudi Press Agency.

At least two sites in each municipality will be placed under a sustainability track to ensure operations continue beyond Ramadan, helping the initiative transition from a seasonal effort into a structured, scalable and sustainable model.

The ministry said the scheme enhanced the image of licensed stalls as an organized model that reflects cities’ identities and improves the urban scene overall.

It also provides more sustainable economic opportunities for participants and creates a gradual pathway for transitioning from informal activities to officially regulated practices within clear regulatory frameworks. This contributes to income stability, improved service quality and greater reliability of the overall experience.

Basta Khair Saudi Arabia 2025 saw 1,732 vendors take part and around 814,000 visitors. It achieved a sustainability rate of 30 percent following its conclusion and recorded 90 percent satisfaction levels, reflecting its economic and social impact and supporting the ministry’s development of an organized, sustainable model to empower street vendors across the Kingdom.