Executive Council Resolution No. (107) of 2023
Regulating the
Tourist Transport Activity in the Emirate of
Dubai[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. (17) of 2005 Establishing
the Roads and Transport Authority and its amendments;
Law No. (13) of 2011 Regulating the
Conduct of Economic Activities in the Emirate of Dubai and its amendments;
Law No. (1) of 2016 Concerning the Financial Regulations of the Government of
Dubai, its Implementing Bylaw, and their amendments;
Law No. (5) of 2021 Concerning the
Dubai International Financial Centre;
Law No. (20) of 2021 Establishing
the Department of Economy and Tourism in the Emirate of Dubai;
Decree No. (22) of 2009 Concerning
Special Development Zones in the Emirate of Dubai;
Decree No. (17) of 2013 Concerning
Licensing and Classification of Hotel Establishments in the Emirate of Dubai;
Regulation No. (5) of 2006
Concerning Classification and Licensing of Tourist Bus Transport Establishments
in the Emirate of Dubai;
Regulation No. (6) of 2006
Concerning the Licensing of Tourist Establishments and Travel Agencies and its
amendments; and
The legislation establishing and
regulating free zones in the Emirate of Dubai,
Do hereby issue this Resolution.
The following words and expressions, wherever mentioned in this
Resolution, will have the meaning indicated opposite each of them unless the
context implies otherwise:
|
The Emirate of Dubai. |
Emirate: |
|
The Roads and Transport Authority. |
RTA: |
|
The Department of Economy and Tourism in the
Emirate of Dubai. |
DET: |
|
The director general and chairman of the
Board of Executive Directors of the RTA. |
Director General: |
|
The transport of passengers by Tourist
Vehicles to and from airports; hotels; tourist resorts; and heritage,
archaeological, and tourist landmarks and areas within and outside of the
Emirate. |
Activity: |
|
A company or firm authorised by the RTA to conduct the
Activity in the Emirate. |
Establishment: |
|
This includes any hotel, resort, hotel
apartment, guest house, youth hostel, budget hotel, floating hotel, or other similar Hotel
Establishment which is
placed under the supervision of the DET pursuant to the legislation in force
in the Emirate. |
Hotel Establishment: |
|
An establishment licensed by the DET to
conduct the activity of Inbound Tour Operator in accordance with the
above-mentioned Regulation No. (6) of 2006. |
Tourist Establishment: |
|
A bus, car, motorcycle, or other motorised
machine or carriage licensed by the RTA and designated for conducting the
Activity. |
Tourist Vehicle: |
|
A document issued by the RTA pursuant to this
Resolution authorising an Establishment to conduct the Activity, or to use or
operate a Tourist
Vehicle. |
Permit: |
This Resolution aims to:
1. develop an integrated tourist transport system in the
Emirate that contributes to promoting it as a tourist destination at the local,
regional, and international levels;
2. enhance security and safety procedures in
Tourist Vehicles with a view to ensuring the comfort, convenience, and safety
of the users of these vehicles; and
3. regulate the conduct of the Activity in
accordance with the relevant international best practices.
a. The provisions of this Resolution apply to all
persons conducting the Activity in
the Emirate, including in Special Development Zones and free zones, such as the
Dubai International Financial Centre.
b. This Resolution does not apply to Hotel
Establishments transporting their own guests and to Tourist Establishments
transporting individuals to any other place within the Emirate. This
non-application of the Resolution is
subject to the conditions, rules, procedures, and technical requirements pertaining
to drivers and Vehicles as prescribed by the RTA in agreement with the DET, in
accordance with the relevant applicable legislation of the RTA.
c. The penalties and fines prescribed by the applicable
legislation of the RTA
will be imposed on Hotel Establishments and Tourist Establishments that commit
any of the
violations stipulated in that
legislation.
a. No natural or legal person may conduct the
Activity in the Emirate unless he is so authorised by the RTA and is licensed
by the concerned commercial Licensing Authority.
b. The Activity may be conducted only using
Tourist Vehicles driven by drivers who are so authorised by the RTA.
For the purposes of this Resolution, the RTA will oversee the tourist
transport sector in the Emirate. For this purpose, the RTA will have the duties
and powers to:
1. develop, in coordination with the DET, the
policies, plans, and programmes aimed at regulating and promoting the tourist
transport sector in the Emirate;
2. establish the standards, requirements, and
conditions required for conducting the Activity in the Emirate using Tourist
Vehicles;
3. establish the standards required for issuing
Permits to, and classifying, Establishments;
4. establish the standards, specifications, and
safety requirements that must be met by Tourist Vehicles to be used by all
categories of persons, including persons with disabilities;
5. receive and determine Permit applications in
accordance with the standards, requirements, and conditions adopted by the RTA
in this respect as well as other standards, requirements, and conditions
prescribed by the DET;
6. issue the Permits required for the operation of
Tourist Vehicles, in accordance with the standards, requirements, and
conditions adopted by the RTA in this respect;
7. issue the Permits required for drivers of Tourist
Vehicles, and conduct training and qualifying courses for them, in accordance
with the standards, requirements, and conditions adopted by the RTA in this
respect;
8. determine the routes of Tourist Vehicles in the
Emirate;
9. determine, in coordination with the DET, the
number of Tourist Vehicles that an Establishment may use in conducting the
Activity;
10. monitor and inspect Tourist Vehicles and their
drivers to verify that the relevant adopted standards, requirements, and
conditions are satisfied;
11. monitor Establishments to verify their
compliance with the relevant adopted standards, requirements, and conditions;
12. receive and investigate complaints filed
against Establishments and drivers of Tourist Vehicles; and impose the
penalties and measures, prescribed in this Resolution against violators;
13. create a database of Establishments, Tourist
Vehicles, and Tourist Vehicle drivers; and
14. exercise any other duties or powers that fall
within the functions of the RTA under the legislation in force as required for
the achievement of the objectives of this Resolution.
For the purposes of this Resolution, the DET will have the duties and
powers to:
1. qualify the tour guides working in
Establishments and issue them with identification cards, in accordance with the
relevant rules adopted by the DET;
2. determine the Emirate's tourist destinations to
which tourists will be transported; and provide the RTA and Establishments with
lists of these destinations; and
3. exercise any other duties or powers that fall
within the functions of the DET under the legislation in force as required for
the achievement of the objectives of this Resolution.
A Permit to conduct the Activity will be issued to an Establishment
subject to the following:
1. The conditions adopted by the commercial
licensing authority in charge of licensing economic activities must be
satisfied.
2. The technical requirements and specifications determined
by the relevant resolution of the Director General must be satisfied.
3. Premises which are appropriate for conducting
the Activity must be provided, and must meet the standards and requirements
stipulated in the relevant resolution of the Director General of the DET in
coordination with the RTA.
4. A manager must be appointed to the
Establishment. The manager must have the experience and qualifications
prescribed by the RTA and approved pursuant to the relevant resolution of the
Director General.
5. The Establishment owner must be of good conduct
and repute, and not have been convicted of a felony or other crime affecting
honour or trustworthiness, unless he has been rehabilitated or pardoned.
6. The manager of the Establishment must not be
less than twenty-one (21) years of age.
7. The documents required by the RTA for issuing
the Permit must be submitted.
8. Any other requirements prescribed by the RTA or
the DET, and approved pursuant a resolution of the Director General, must be satisfied.
A Permit to conduct the Activity will be valid for a period of one (1)
year, renewable for the same period. An application for renewal of a Permit
must be submitted within the last month prior to its expiry date. The Permit will
be renewed in accordance with the conditions prescribed by the relevant
resolution of the Director General.
A Permit to conduct the Activity may not be assigned without first
obtaining the relevant approval of the RTA. This approval will be issued in
accordance with the conditions and rules approved by the Director General in
this respect.
The RTA may suspend the issuance of a Permit for any reason related to
serving the public interest or to regulating road traffic in the Emirate, or
based on the recommendation
of the DET where the
Establishment commits a gross breach of its applicable legislation.
Establishments will be classified in accordance with the standards and
rules approved pursuant to the relevant resolution of the Director General, in
addition to any other standards and rules required by the DET in this respect.
In classifying Establishments, the volume of their activities, the number and
level of luxury of their Tourist Vehicles, the number of their employees, and
the type of services they provide must be taken into consideration.
a. An electronic system for the Activity will be
created at the RTA. This system will be used to issue and renew Permits, to
follow up the activities of Establishments, and for any other purposes
determined by the RTA, the DET, and the concerned entities in the Emirate.
b. The RTA will supervise, operate, maintain,
manage, and develop the electronic system referred to in paragraph (a) of this
Article.
a. For the purposes of using or driving Tourist
Vehicles, the RTA will issue two types of Permits as follows:
1. Tourist Vehicle Permits; and
2. Tourist Vehicle driver’s Permits.
b. The Permits referred to in paragraph (a) of
this Article will be valid for a period of one (1) year, renewable for the same
period.
c. The Director General will, pursuant to a
resolution he issues in this respect, determine the conditions, procedures, and
requirements that must be satisfied, and the documents that must be provided, to
issue or renew the Permits
referred to in paragraph (a) of this Article.
In addition to its obligations under the legislation in force, an
Establishment must:
1. comply with the conditions and rules adopted by
the RTA for conducting the Activity;
2. comply with the legislation in force in the
Emirate, including the legislation concerning road traffic, public health and
safety, and the environment;
3. use Tourist Vehicles only in conducting the
Activity, and not use them for any other purpose;
4. provide the RTA with the tourist transport Fare
per person, and any changes thereto;
5. not place commercial advertisements or posters
on the interior or exterior of Tourist Vehicles without first obtaining the
relevant approval of the RTA;
6. enrol the drivers of Tourist Vehicles in the
training courses prescribed by the RTA in this respect;
7. display the name and contact details of the
Establishment in a prominent place on the interior and exterior of the Tourist
Vehicle;
8. maintain records containing the details of the
tourist trips it organises, and provide the RTA with these details, and with
any other statistics or documents the RTA deems necessary to review;
9. install tracking devices on its Tourist
Vehicles in accordance with the relevant instructions and rules adopted by the
RTA;
10. not allow the use of its Tourist Vehicles by
another Establishment without first obtaining the relevant approval of the RTA;
11. cooperate with the competent RTA employees and
not obstruct their work;
12. comply with the safety standards,
specifications, and requirements applicable to Tourist Vehicles; and
13. comply with any other obligations prescribed by
the RTA pursuant to the resolutions issued by the Director General in this
respect.
a. In return for issuing the Permits and providing
the services stated in Schedule (1) attached hereto, the RTA will collect the
fees indicated opposite each of these Permits and services.
b. In return for providing the tour guide
qualification service to non-UAE national employees working in an
Establishment, the DET will collect a fee of seven thousand and five hundred
dirhams (AED 7,500.00).
a. Without prejudice to any stricter penalty
provided for in any other resolution, a person who commits any of the
violations set out in Schedule (2) attached to this Resolution will be punished
by the fine indicated opposite that violation.
b. Upon repetition of the same violation within
one (1) year from the date of the previous violation, the amount of the fine
prescribed in the schedule referred to in paragraph (a) of this Article will be
doubled. A doubled fine must not exceed fifty thousand dirhams (AED 50,000.00).
c. In addition to the penalty of a fine, the RTA
may take one or more of the following measures against a violator:
1. suspending the Permit for a period not
exceeding six (6) months;
2. revoking the Permit and coordinating with the
competent commercial licensing authority to cancel the commercial licence;
3. revoking the Tourist Vehicle Permit or the Tourist
Vehicle driver’s Permit; and/or
4. impounding the Tourist Vehicle for a period not exceeding
six (6) months.
In addition to the penalties and administrative measures stipulated in
Article (16) of this Resolution, a violator must remedy the violation within
the time frame prescribed by the RTA in this respect, failing which the RTA may
remedy the violation using its own resources or through engaging any other
entity, and hold the violator liable for all costs incurred, in addition to
administrative charges of twenty-five percent (25%) of these costs.
The RTA Employees nominated pursuant to a resolution of the Director
General will have the capacity of law enforcement officers to record the acts
committed in breach of the provisions of this Resolution and the resolutions
issued in pursuance hereof. For this purpose, they may issue the necessary
violation reports; and, where necessary, seek the assistance of police
personnel.
Any affected party may submit to the Director General a written
grievance against any decision, procedure, or measure taken against him in
accordance with this Resolution and the resolutions issued in pursuance hereof,
within thirty (30) days from the date of being notified of the contested
decision, procedure, or measure. The grievance will be determined, within
thirty (30) days of its submission, by a committee formed by the Director
General for this purpose; and the decision issued by the committee on the
grievance will be final.
Fees and fines collected pursuant to this Resolution will be paid to the
Public Treasury of the Government of Dubai.
All persons conducting the Activity in the Emirate by the effective date
of this Resolution must comply with the provisions hereof within a period not
exceeding one (1) year from that effective date. The Director General may,
where required, issue a resolution extending this grace period for the same
period.
Government Entities in the Emirate must fully cooperate with the RTA and
the DET to enable them to exercise the duties and powers assigned to them under
this Resolution, the resolutions issued in pursuance hereof, and other
legislation in force in the Emirate.
The Director General will issue the resolutions required for the
implementation of this Resolution. These resolutions will be published in the
Official Gazette.
a. The above-mentioned Regulation No. (5) of 2006
is hereby repealed. Any provision in any other resolution is also hereby
repealed to the extent that it contradicts the provisions of this Resolution.
b. The resolutions and bylaws issued in
implementation of the above-mentioned Regulation No. (5) of 2006 will continue
in force to the extent that they do not contradict this Resolution, until new
superseding resolutions and bylaws are issued.
This Resolution will be published in the Official Gazette and will come
into force sixty (60) days after the date of its publication.
Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum
Crown Prince of Dubai
Chairman of the Executive Council
Issued in Dubai on 15 December 2023
Corresponding to 2 Jumada al-Thaniyah 1445 A.H.
|
SN |
Description |
Fee
(in dirhams) |
|
1 |
Issuing or renewing a Permit to conduct the
Activity |
4,000.00 |
|
2 |
Variation of the details of a Permit to
conduct the Activity |
500.00 |
|
3 |
Issuing a replacement for a lost or damaged
Permit to conduct the Activity |
500.00 |
|
4 |
Issuing or renewing a heavy Tourist Vehicle
Permit |
1,500.00 |
|
5 |
Issuing or renewing a light Tourist Vehicle
Permit |
700.00 |
|
6 |
Issuing or renewing a tourist
motorcycle Permit |
500.00 |
|
7 |
Issuing or renewing a Permit to use any type
of Tourist Vehicles other than those set forth herein |
800.00 |
|
8 |
Issuing a replacement of a lost or damaged
Tourist Vehicle Permit |
500.00 |
|
9 |
Issuing or renewing a Tourist Vehicle
driver’s Permit |
200.00 |
|
10 |
Issuing a replacement for a lost or damaged Tourist
Vehicle driver’s Permit |
200.00 |
|
11 |
Conducting a basic training course for a
Tourist Vehicle driver |
1,000.00 |
|
12 |
Conducting a supplementary training course
for a Tourist Vehicle driver |
400.00 |
|
13 |
Conducting a re-qualification course for a
Tourist Vehicle driver |
400.00 |
|
SN |
Violation |
Fine (in dirhams) |
|
1 |
Conducting the Activity without a Permit |
10,000.00 |
|
2 |
Conducting the Activity after expiry of the
Permit |
2,000.00 |
|
3 |
Failure to provide the RTA with the
documents, information, or statistics related to conducting the Activity as
it deems necessary to review |
500.00 |
|
4 |
Failure to maintain records containing the
details of the tourist trips |
1,000.00 |
|
5 |
Hindering or obstructing the work of the
competent RTA employees
or failure to cooperate with them |
500.00 |
|
6 |
Using Tourist Vehicles for purposes other
than conducting the Activity |
5,000.00 |
|
7 |
Failure to comply with the safety standards,
specifications, and requirements applicable to Tourist Vehicles |
500.00 |
|
8 |
Failure to display the name and details of
the Establishment in a prominent place on the interior and exterior of a Tourist Vehicle |
500.00 |
|
9 |
Driving a Tourist Vehicle by a driver who
does not hold a Permit or whose Permit has expired |
500.00 |
|
10 |
Failure to enrol a Tourist Vehicle driver in
the training courses prescribed by the RTA |
1,000.00 |
|
11 |
Failure to install tracking devices on
Tourist Vehicles
in accordance with the relevant instructions and rules adopted by the RTA |
2,000.00 |
|
12 |
Placing commercial advertisements or posters
on the interior or exterior of a Tourist Vehicle without first obtaining the
relevant approval of the RTA |
1,500.00 |
|
13 |
Failure to observe the Tourist Vehicle routes
determined by the RTA |
500.00 |
|
14 |
Allowing the use of its Tourist Vehicle by
another Establishment without first obtaining the relevant approval of the
RTA |
1,500.00 |
|
15 |
Failure to install the tourist transport
plate on a Tourist Vehicle |
1,000.00 |
|
16 |
Failure to fully comply with this Resolution
within the prescribed time frame |
3,000.00 |
|
17 |
Failure to observe the number of Tourist
Vehicles that the
Establishment may use in conducting the Activity |
2,000.00 |
©2024 The Supreme
Legislation Committee in the Emirate of Dubai
[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 will prevail.