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​On Thursday, 3 April, 2014, a meeting was held at the Government of Dubai Legal Affairs Department, attended by H.E. Dr. Lowai Mohammed Belhoul, the Director General of the Legal Affairs Department, H.E. Helal Saeed Al Marri, the Director General of the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) and a number of legal counsel and experts from both departments. The discussions related to legislation regulating the tourism activities in Dubai, which are supervised by DTCM, and in particular, the recently issued laws and decrees of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai as well as the resolutions of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Dubai Executive Council.
Several pieces of legislation regulating the tourism sector have been issued recently, among them:

• Law No. (1) of 2013 Amending Law No. (30) of 2009 Concerning Dubai Events and Promotions Establishment
• Law No. (15) of 2013 Establishing Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing
• Decree No. (17) of 2013 Concerning Licensing and Classification of Hotel Establishments in the Emirate of Dubai
• Decree No. (25) of 2013 Concerning the Events eLicensing and eTicketing System in the Emirate of Dubai
• Decree No. (41) of 2013 Regulating the Activity of Leasing Holiday Homes in the Emirate of Dubai
• Executive Council Resolution No. (2) of 2014 Approving the Tourism Dirham in the Emirate of Dubai

The focus of the discussions was on the legal measures, procedures, and plans required for the implementation of this recently issued legislation. Some of the key points discussed during the meeting were, the impact that some of the current legislation would have on the tourist establishments in Dubai, the best legal means of enabling such establishments to contribute to sustainable economic development in the Emirate, and how they could play a more active role in increasing tourism and attracting the largest possible number of tourists to Dubai.
It was suggested that this could be achieved by reducing the financial burden on tourist establishments, providing various accommodation options in Dubai for all types of tourists during high seasons, finding ways of promoting Dubai as a global tourist destination, and entering into contracts with foreign tourist companies, establishments and entities in accordance with current legislation in Dubai and the foreign countries.