Event organisers in Abu Dhabi won’t have to pay tourism fees on sold tickets until December 31, 2024, the authorities announced on Friday.
The Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi) has extended the waiver of fees for issuing, distributing, and marketing event tickets in the emirate to further encourage growth in the sector.
The tourism tax was usually charged at 10 per cent of tickets sold.
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“The extension of the tourism fee waiver until the end of the year is part of our efforts to accelerate our growth and provide continued support to our event partners and organisers, who are integral to the tourism and entertainment ecosystem of the emirate,” said Saleh Mohammed Al Geziry, director-general of tourism at DCT Abu Dhabi.
Event organisers must continue to obtain event licences through the Abu Dhabi Events Licensing System following specified regulations.
They are also required to declare revenues generated from their events, submit supporting financial statements, and cooperate with revenue auditors or individuals designated by DCT Abu Dhabi to verify the accuracy of their declarations.
The tourism tax waiver is among several recent measures aimed at fostering the expansion of the tourism and events industry in Abu Dhabi.
Other incentives include the reduction of tourism and municipality fees for hotels in Abu Dhabi, as well as updates to the holiday homes policy. Within this policy, farmhouse owners can now acquire licences to convert their properties into holiday homes. Landlords and residential unit owners can obtain more than one holiday home license for multiple units.