ADTA has laid out a set of stringent regulations that all desert safari camp operators must meet to get a licence.
Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) caused a fair amount of uproar among the emirate’s tour operators and destination management companies at the end of the year when it announced it was clamping down on licensing laws, and that any desert safari camp operator holding New Year’s Eve parties featuring live music, DJs and dancing would be slapped with a hefty fine ranging from AED 10,000 up to AED 100,000.
DMCs said they lost out in millions of dirhams in potential revenue after they were forced to scrap lucrative New Year’s Eve parties at the eleventh hour, or relocate them to neighbouring emirates.
“We have held a party in the desert for the past seven years but the DTCM told us this year we cannot put a DJ in the open, and we can’t have dancing,” said Adnan Aridi, general manager, Alpha Tours.
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“I usually have around 600 to 700 people at the party. So I lost a lot of money on it. I had already paid for the band and the singer etc. But if we didn’t cancel we would have had to pay out a big fine.”
One senior tour company head, who asked not to give his name, said the decision to crackdown on New Year parties was a “worrying” one for Dubai’s tourism industry.
“Do they want tourism here or do they not want tourism? [The authorities] have to decide. We are the ones working to build up this destination and to bring tourists into this country and where do you think most of the tourists come from? It’s from Europe, South Africa and Australia — so the fact is that New Year is the one night these people all want to enjoy themselves and party, whether it’s in the desert, at a hotel, on a boat or on the beach.
“What’s wrong with having music and dancing in the desert? I am very worried about these developments because the fact is you can’t have it both ways — the tourists will just go elsewhere.”
A clampdown on camps?
DTCM disagrees. According to the tourism authority, the crackdown on New Year parties is part of a general drive to regulate the sector and ensure tour operators are “upholding the culture of Dubai.”
“When we make the rules and regulations for desert camps in Dubai we like them to uphold the culture of the UAE,” explains Mohammed Khalifa Ahli, director of inspection & tourism permits at DTCM.
“The desert camp is not an outlet like a discotheque. If you bring this [kind of entertainment] into the desert it will not be nice. We would like tourists coming to Dubai to feel something different, something you cannot get in another place, so when he goes there he feels our culture and what local life is.”
Ahli says local tour operators continue to flout desert camp laws despite warnings. Last year, the DTCM handed out heavy fines to companies for holding parties deemed to be against the rules. He says the tourism authority has now stepped up its regulation and has become “serious” about policing laws that uphold local culture.
“What we saw in the desert last year [over New Year] should not have been seen in Dubai. This type of loud music and dancing goes against the culture of the UAE.
“Now everything has become serious. Really there is no excuse to not know the rules — we say come to DTCM, or look on our website. You will get all the information on tourism rules in Dubai.”
He adds that the laws are there to protect the “traditions” of Dubai.
“We are not here to stop this and stop that. We are looking at the market, and how can we best manage this market in the framework of our culture and our procedures and our laws.
“The desert is the desert,” he states, “Traditions are traditions.”
camp classifications Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority (ADTA) has also taken steps to regulate its desert tourism product, and to ensure that tourists experience an “authentic” desert safari product.
Last month, ADTA launched a new classification system for desert camps, which it is billing as the first of its kind worldwide.
A six-by-six kilometre site in the Al Khatem district, 85km outside of Abu Dhabi city has been set aside as a centralised area for all camp operators.
Five additional sites will be earmarked for future desert camp use by the ADTA in the coming months —including one in Al Wagan in Al Ain and one off Ghayathi Road in Liwa.
ADTA has introduced a new set of stringent regulations that all camp operators have to follow. Camps and safaris will have to meet at least five of 11 standard criteria to receive municipality-approved designation.
Camps will be divided into day camps or overnight camps. Tents will have to be made out of authentic material such as goat hair, pass strict environmental standards, meet fire safety regulations and have a qualified first-aider. Inspection teams will oversee camps’ operations to ensure that standards are met.
Nasser Al Reyami, tourism standards director, ADTA said the new regulations had been brought in to ensure that tourists received a “positive experience of Abu Dhabi and all the touch points that come with it — transport to the camp, interaction with locals, the quality of the food and the activities on offer.
The type of entertainment allowed will also be regulated to ensure guests are provided with the “true cultural experience”, says Al Reyami: “We’ve prepared a checklist that operators must meet to get their license, and one of the requirements is to offer a minimum of five activities, from an approved list of 11. This includes henna demonstrations, falconry, camel riding and Ayala dancing.”
“We are ensuring that desert camp operators create a true cultural experience representative of the emirate’s deep-rooted heritage,” he adds.
“ADTA will now have more control on the sector. This was needed due to the number of tourists and according to the strategy plan.”
Operators will have six months to implement the criteria before official classifications will be made and licenses can be obtained.
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