Abu Dhabi has 'not stopped' issuing hotel licenses

The Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority has knocked recent reports that it stopped issuing new hotel licenses in an attempt to control rooms supply in the emirate.

Media reports in April claimed that Abu Dhabi would not issue new hotel licenses in the capital until further notice due to oversupply, but Nasser Al Reyami, tourism standards director, Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority told Hotelier Middle East that was not the case.

“Actually this was misunderstood and taken out of context. The reality is that we have never put a stop on license issuing. We have, due to prevailing demand and supply equations, put in place a system where we do not automatically issue licenses,” says Al Reyami.

“Instead, once we receive an application, the applicant is invited to a join us for a presentation on the prevailing circumstances so that they can go away and think carefully whether their proposed project will be viable in the short-to-medium terms. It I then up to the applicant, but we want them to be fully versed with all the facts to make a shrewd, informed decision,” he explains.