Abu Dhabi: Residents and tourists looking for quality holiday home accommodation in Abu Dhabi will now benefit from a wider range of options, following the Department of Culture and Tourism — Abu Dhabi’s (DCT Abu Dhabi) collaboration with Airbnb.
The American homestay platform’s agreement with Abu Dhabi’s culture sector regulator is expected to help diversify the growing tourism market in the emirate, the Abu Dhabi Media Office announced on Wednesday.
The collaboration follows the DCT Abu Dhabi’s call to holiday homeowners to register their units on an online licensing system. The authority has been working to regulate the market since 2020 in a bid to provide further choices to holidaymakers.
Airbnb hosting page
Under the newly signed MoU, Airbnb will provide DCT Abu Dhabi with access to its City Portal. This shares important data and insights from the platform about rental activities in Abu Dhabi. Airbnb will also launch a dedicated responsible hosting page on the platform, helping new and existing hosts in the emirate to understand and follow local rules for holiday homes. The deal will also enable the DCT Abu Dhabi to encourage better compliance with regulations, and help the authority to raise awareness about existing offerings.
Accommodation options
“The signing of this agreement with Airbnb demonstrates our commitment to expanding accommodation options available in Abu Dhabi, which 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,” said Saood Al Hosani, DCT Abu Dhabi undersecretary.
Diversifying offerings
As a regulator of holiday homes in Abu Dhabi, DCT Abu Dhabi aims to use such strategic agreements to enable leading 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 DCT 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,” said Velma Corcoran, regional lead for Middle East and Africa at Airbnb.
