Abu Dhabi has extended its tax waiver programme for event organisers in a bid to boost its tourism sector.

Event organisers will be exempt from paying the tourism fee of 10% on tickets sold until December 31, 2024, the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi) said on Friday.

“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.

The waiver of fees for issuing, distributing and marketing event tickets is one of the several initiatives the UAE capital has introduced to boost its tourism and events industry.

It has reduced the tourism and municipality fees for hotels in the emirate and updated the holiday homes policy to enable farmhouse owners to convert their properties into holiday homes.

Abu Dhabi hosted more than 1,200 MICE events, serving a total of 603,000 visitors in 2022. Visitor numbers reached 18 million, while hotel capacity was at 70% during the same period. 

The emirate had set a target of 24 million visitors for 2023.

(Writing by Cleofe Maceda; editing by Seban Scaria)
seban.scaria@lseg.com