The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is moving to assist its growing tourism industry, with the government deferring fee payments to the government by three months and preparing a new support package, according to local media reports.
The UAE’s Minister of Economy and Tourism, Abdulla bin Touq Al Marri, told Dubai Eye 103.8’s Business Breakfast show that the new package was being prepared with the goal of easing pressure on tourism-related industries due to the impact of the conflict in Iran.
“We are supporting the tourism sector, we are speaking to them daily,” the minister said, as reported by Gulf News.
“We do have a package that will come up very soon that will really address the tourism issues and the challenges that they are facing.”
Another Dh1 billion support package already implemented allows hotels and other tourism businesses to defer the entirety of sales fees on rooms and food and beverage – as well as the Tourism Dirham, a mandatory fee for Dubai hotels ranging from AED 7 to AED 20 per roomnight based on the hotel’s star rating – by three months starting 1 April 2026. The goal is to improve short-term liquidity and reduce costs.
Gulf News also noted that authorities are closely monitoring the price of goods to ensure costs don’t spiral out of control for consumers.
This includes preventing hotels from raising F&B costs without approval.
“All the retailers, for instance, when it comes to food and beverages, cannot really increase any price without coming and actually submitting on the ministry website, [and] we haven’t approved any price increase,” the minister explained, adding that customers have been asked not to stockpile goods.
“We have a good structure of supply chain happening. And I think that’s something in which the UAE is very strong.
“The UAE is strong, a 40-day conflict will not determine the future of the UAE economy.”
The UAE sees tourism as a vital part of its long-term future and has been actively supporting the industry’s expansion through core developments like the US$5.1 billion Wynn Al Marjan Island integrated resort project in Ras Al Khaimah.
Due to open in the first half of 2026, Wynn Resorts last month issued a statement confirming that construction had resumed on Wynn Al Marjan Island after a brief pause due to the conflict.
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