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New Airbnb deal set to boost holiday home sector in Abu Dhabi

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High-quality accommodation options for visitors looking for alternatives to traditional hotels in the UAE capital have been given a significant boost after a new agreement was signed between the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi) and popular international vacation rental platform Airbnb. 

The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) will see the two organisations collaborate to promote the holiday home sector in the UAE capital. The MoU follows DCT Abu Dhabi’s request earlier this year for holiday homeowners to register on its new online licensing system to help regulate and enhance this growing market within the tourism sector.

Under the MoU, Airbnb will provide DCT Abu Dhabi with access to its City Portal, which will share important data and insights on the Airbnb platform about rental activities taking place in Abu Dhabi. Airbnb will also launch a dedicated responsible hosting page on the platform, helping new and existing hosts in the emirate with understanding and following local rules for holiday homes. Furthermore, areas of collaboration include supporting DCT Abu Dhabi in encouraging holiday home hosts to comply with regulations and raising awareness of Abu Dhabi’s diversity in accommodation offerings.

“The signing of this agreement with Airbnb demonstrates our commitment to expanding accommodation options available in Abu Dhabi that will enhance the emirate as a premier tourism destination in the region. In partnering with the world-leading home rental platform, we are ensuring tourists and residents in Abu Dhabi are provided with more choice for safe and secure short-term accommodation. This cooperation will help us meet the rising demand for high-quality alternatives to established hotels and hotel apartments across Abu Dhabi.”

HE Saood Al Hosani, Undersecretary of DCT Abu Dhabi

As a regulator of holiday homes in Abu Dhabi, DCT Abu Dhabi will use such strategic agreements to enable leading holiday home rental platforms to offer short-term rentals responsibly, and to help diversify the growing tourism and hospitality sectors.

“We are delighted to be partnering with the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi to help encourage responsible hosting and to boost tourism in the emirate. This partnership will contribute to help grow and diversify tourism, increase consumer choice and attract new guests to this exciting destination. We look forward to working together with DCT Abu Dhabi, and to the many opportunities this partnership creates for travellers in the future.” 

Velma Corcoran, Regional Lead Middle East Africa at Airbnb

To access the platform and learn more about becoming a local Host please visit our article on responsible hosting in Abu Dhabi.
Read more about: city portal

About Airbnb

Airbnb was born in 2007 when two Hosts welcomed three guests to their San Francisco home, and has since grown to over 4 million Hosts who have welcomed more than 1 billion guest arrivals across over 220 countries and regions. Travel on Airbnb keeps more of the financial benefits of tourism with the people and places that make it happen. Airbnb has generated billions of dollars in earnings for Hosts, most of whom are individuals listing the homes in which they live. Among Hosts who report their gender, more than half are women, and one in five employed Hosts are either teachers or healthcare workers. Travel on Airbnb also has generated more than $4 billion in tax revenue around the world. Airbnb has helped advance more than 1,000 regulatory frameworks for short-term rentals, including in 80% of our top 200 geographies. In late 2020, to support our continued expansion and diversification, we launched the City Portal to provide governments with a one-stop shop that supports data sharing and compliance with local registration rules. We continue to invest in innovations and tools to support our ongoing work with governments around the world to advance travel that best serves communities.

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