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28 March 2024

Dubai tourism 'dirham fee': Nominal charge to be applied to hotel guests

Published
By Parag Deulgaonkar

Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) has confirmed to Emirates 24|7 that it will start imposing a “tourism dirham” fee that is aimed to help grow the tourism sector.

“It will be a minimal charge applied to guests staying in one- to five-star hotels, and deluxe and standard hotel apartments,” a DTCM spokesperson told this website.

“More information will be announced within a week to 10 days.”

This week, Dubai government issued a decree establishing a new body to promote and market Dubai.

The Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DCTCM) will be an affiliate of the existing DTCM.

DCTCM’s mandate includes promoting Dubai as a prime destination for tourism, entertainment, and events; endorsing the emirate’s credentials for global business, with the essential facilities, infrastructure, events and expertise required to facilitate trade; and attracting regional and international businesses to establish offices in the city.

In the run up to the World Expo 2020, Helal Al Merri, director-general, DTCM, said the emirate will have projects “specifically related to the Expo site” and overall infrastructure for hosting the exhibition.

The Expo-related infrastructure development and operations will cost nearly Dh32.39 billion, he said.

STR Global, an international consultancy, said earlier that Dubai’s average daily rate growth of 9.9 per cent to $290.68 in November far outpaced the regional average growth rate.

The consultancy said that the UAE, which is already among the top five countries in the world for new hotel openings over the past five years, saw positive growth throughout the first 11 months of 2013.

The country has the longest pipeline of rooms under construction with an additional 32,107 rooms in the offing.