Travel and Tourism industry is one of the popular mediums of businesses in Dubai, UAE. With the ever increasing travellers in Dubai, it is advisable to form a travel tourism sector at the earliest to have the best advantage. It is an internationally recognised destination of attraction popular for its landmarks, state-of-the-art hotels, beautiful blue waters, to the world-leading malls, as well as the historic old district.
The UAE offers several benefits for investors like tax-free incentives, a world-class infrastructure, a strategic location, plenty of available office space, and more. It also offers Investor -friendly political regime, option to choose tourism licence according to your choice and easy business set up process. Naturally this presents an incredible opportunity to the UAE’s entrepreneurs.
The UAE government has put many promotions and initiatives in place for business owners and entrepreneurs. It also allows a provision for a wide range of travel services without any restrictions both in the domestic and international market. UAE is now providing scope for 100% foreign ownership without the involvement of a local partner. However, It is recommended that a Process Agent be appointed to represent the interests of clients in Immigration and solve other functional tasks.
If you are interested in starting a business in a stable industry in Dubai, Mainland Travel & Tourism is the best option to invest in.
Once you have the Tourism Licence you can choose any of the below activities for your business:
- Sell tickets for transportation, including land, air and sea.
- Offering and sales of travel insurance to clients
- Sell all kinds of tourism packages, including accommodation
- Support on visa-related services
- Car or other conveyance rental services
There are four Categories of Tourism Licence in Dubai and they are:
- Inbound Tour Operator – To handle inland travel, events, visa and transportation needs for the local and foreigners travelling to Dubai
- Outbound Tour Operator- To sell the travel and tourism packages outside of UAE through e-commerce, offline agents, network etc.
- Travel Agency– To act as a vendor for tickets and booking related services on behalf of agents which includes tickets for flights, buses, trains, hotel, vacation booking, car rental service etc.
- Tour Guide Licence: To conduct and accompanies visitors to major tourist attractions and areas of interest.
How to start a Tourism Business in Dubai?
- Select the suitable location : Find a location for your business in the Free Zone or Mainland.
- Decide on your business activity: Choose the business activity – travel agency, tour operator, travel and tourism consultancy.
- Choose a company name: Once the above decisions are made, the procedure to start the company starts with choosing a trading and complete the registration process .
- Apply for a Licence: Get a tourism license from the authorities. For setting up a tourism business in Dubai, one needs to get the business registered with the Department of Economic Development and the Department of Dubai Tourism and Commerce Marketing. Complete the paperwork at any typing centre and get all the stakeholders to sign it. Submit this form to the DED.
- Draft the LLC agreements: Draft the LLC agreement ad get it notarised with the help of a legal translator. You will not need a legal translator’s seal if the agreement is in Arabic. Following this, all partners must sign the court’s agreement in front of the notary.
- Payment of Fees: Pay the required fee to successfully register your business
- Collect the Licence: The license will be issued by the relevant authorities when all the formalities have been completed.
- Register with Dubai Chamber of Commerce: Upon receiving the license, the company must be registered with Dubai Chamber in order to issue the Dubai Chamber Certificate, which is essential for registering the company or the agency with numerous governmental departments and for any future business expansion or branching in any other emirates.
- Renting an Office: Once the investor has completed the formalities with various departments, it’s time to rent a space for the office where staff can work comfortably.
- Register your company name in immigration Department and get an investor/partner visa issued for the owners of the business.
- Apply for the bank account: to trade in the UAE as per your operations and transactions.
- Website: Create a website for your business which will help the potential clients to view various offers, book tickets, confirm hotel reservations, and avail of all the other services.
What documents are required to start a Tourism Licence in Dubai, Mainland?
Documents required for Tourism License in Dubai, UAE are:
- Completed Tourism License Application
- Copy of the valid passport of each of the applicants
- Certification of work qualification
- The owner’s good conduct certificate
- The owner’s proof of clean criminal record
- Project detailed feasibility study or planning report indicating the mode of operation and profit analysis
- No Objection letter from Civil Aviation Authority
How much does it cost to start an Tourism business in Dubai, Mainland?
The cost of obtaining the Tourism licence will depend on many factors based on your location, business activities, company size , activities chosen, government fee and other operational costs. However, in general, the cost of Tourism Licence would start from AED 20,000/- .
If you are looking to start an Travel and Tourism business in the UAE, it is recommended that you You may contact any business set up consultant before you start a Travel and Tourism business in Dubai who will not only help you with the procedures but also guide you through all the steps of starting a Travel and Tourism business in Dubai. They also have the necessary connections that help make the whole process smooth and effortless. Remember that the process is only easy and hassle-free when the business setup is done without any error.
Infographic on how to start your Tourism Company in mainland Dubai
