Regulation No. (1) of 2009

Amending

Regulation No. (6) of 2006 Concerning the

Licensing of Tourist Establishments and Travel Agencies[1]

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We, Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Chairman of the Executive Council,

After perusal of:

Law No. (3) of 2003 Establishing the Executive Council of the Emirate of Dubai;

Law No. (1) of 1997 Establishing the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing and its amendments; and

Regulation No. (6) of 2006 Concerning the Licensing of Tourist Establishments and Travel Agencies (the “Original Regulation”),

Do hereby issue this Regulation.

Article (1)

Articles (5), (6), (12) and (15) of the Original Regulation are hereby superseded by the following:

Article (5)

Any person wishing to obtain a licence for any of the tourist activities mentioned in this Regulation must comply with the following general requirements, and with the special requirements for each tourist activity stated in Schedule (2) of this Regulation:

1. providing an independent space of an area not less than thirty square metres (30 sq m) for conducting each tourist activity;

2. submitting recent certificates of good conduct for both the owner and the managing director of the Establishment;

3. appointing a qualified manager for one or more of the tourist activities, provided that such manager has no less than three (3) years of work experience in tourism if he holds a university degree or a certificate with a major in tourism and travel, or such manager must have no less than five (5) years work experience in the tourism field if he holds a general secondary school certificate. In all cases, such academic qualifications must be duly attested;

4. submitting an undertaking to provide clients with complete and correct information on the tourist programmes offered by the Establishment;

5. submitting an undertaking to respond to any complaint filed with the DTCM against the Establishment within one (1) week from the date on which the Establishment is notified of such complaint;

6. submitting an undertaking to provide the DTCM with any required documents, data or statistics;

7. submitting an undertaking to inform the DTCM of the name of the managing director and of any change that may occur in this regard;

8. maintaining a signboard at the entrance of the travel agency on which working hours and weekends are stated in Arabic and English; and

9. providing an irrevocable bank guarantee, in favour of the DTCM, issued by a bank operating in the Emirate for the amount of:

a. two hundred thousand Dirhams (AED 200,000.00) for an authorised agent of one or more airlines, and for an overseas tourist tour organiser; and/ or

b. one hundred thousand Dirhams (AED 100,000.00) for a tourism and travel agent, and for a local tourist tour organiser.

This guarantee must remain valid unless the licence is revoked.

Article (6)

The Director General may grant an Establishment a grace period until 31 July 2009 to comply with any of the general requirements stipulated in Article (5) of this Regulation, and with any special requirements stipulated in Schedule (2) of this Regulation.

Article (12)

For the purposes of resolving complaints filed against a Tourist Establishment involving a claim not exceeding one hundred and fifty thousand Dirhams (AED 150,000.00), a committee will be formed within the DTCM of three (3) persons appointed pursuant to a resolution of the Director General. Two (2) of these persons will be from amongst the employees of the DTCM, one of whom, the legal counsel of the DTCM, will be the chairman of the committee, and the other will be an expert in the tourism industry.

Article (15)

The committee will resolve complaints pursuant to a reasoned decision made unanimously or by majority vote of its members including the chairman’s vote. The decision of the committee will be final and irrevocable.

Article (2)

This Regulation comes into force on the day on which it is issued, and will be published in the Official Gazette.

Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum

Crown Prince of Dubai

Chairman of the Executive Council

Issued on 25 February 2009

Corresponding to 30 Safar 1430 A.H.

[1]Every effort has been made to produce an accurate and complete English version of this legislation. However, for the purpose of its interpretation and application, reference must be made to the original Arabic text. In case of conflict the Arabic text shall prevail.