Dubai shakes up growing holiday home sector

Dubai has taken a step closer to becoming a vibrant holiday homes market now the government has announced new regulations for the industry.

The Department of Tourism & Commerce Marketing (DTCM)/Dubai Tourism, has introduced an Executive Resolution that aims to provide greater transparency, safety and standardisation of the market, in order to boost the sector’s appeal to guests, home owners, operators and developers.

This new blueprint for the holiday homes industry is part of Dubai Tourism’s strategy to diversify its accommodation offering as it looks to attract 20 million visitors to the destination by 2020.

“The decision to regulate Dubai’s Holiday Home sector is to broaden the range of options available to visitors, while ensuring that the high standards of quality for which Dubai is known are maintained,” said Khaled Bin Touq, executive director, Licensing & Classification Sector, at Dubai Tourism.

“Visitors booking their accommodation through licensed operators will have the assurance that their accommodation has been classified in line with global best practices, while owners of properties will benefit from the expertise and marketing capabilities of the operator through who they rent out their property.”

The regulations detail specific criteria that home owners need to meet to apply for a licence including quality standards, amenities, health and safety, insurance necessities, code of conduct, and wider community integration.

Home owners are also required to use a Dubai Tourism licensed operator to rent out their homes, who are accountable for ensuring the property meets all legislative requirements.

Dubai Tourism will regularly inspect registered homes, which are classified as Standard or Deluxe depending on their offering, to maintain standards and issue penalties for non-compliance to regulatory requirements.

To date, Dubai Tourism has licensed 57 operators and registered more than 1,633 properties in line with the regulations.