Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum tours Hatta. Twitter
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum tours Hatta. Twitter
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum tours Hatta. Twitter
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum tours Hatta. Twitter

Sheikh Mohammed tours Hatta as part of domestic tourism push


Gillian Duncan
  • English
  • Arabic

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid has been pictured enjoying the sights in Hatta.

The Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE visited the area on Friday as part of a campaign to encourage residents and Emiratis to holiday at home.

The 45-day "world's coolest winter" campaign aims to get more people out exploring the country in the next few months.

It invites people to visit tourist attractions that make each of the seven emirates special and contribute to the UAE as one destination.

Hatta, which features heavily in the campaign, is an exclave of Dubai that is located high in the Hajar mountains on the border with Oman.

The Ruler of Dubai can be seen walking, biking and taking in scenery such as the turquoise coloured lake formed by the Hatta Dam.

“From my Hatta trip today,” wrote Sheikh Mohammed as he shared the images on Twitter.

“Tourism is an important pillar and support for the nation. Exploring the homeland helps in discovering its identity, roots, ancestors, and the limits within which a person can reach in his homeland.”

The images were accompanied by a video of Sheikh Mohammed exploring Hatta.

In July, Dubai became the first emirate, and one of the first destinations globally, to reopen to tourism following the Covid-19 outbreak.

Abu Dhabi reopened to tourism more recently, but its hotels were busier in July compared to the same period last year, despite not having any visitors from overseas, due to staycations.

By the third quarter, hotels in Abu Dhabi had recorded a 46 per cent surge in revenue, according to authorities.

The "world's coolest winter" campaign aims to build on the trend to holiday at home by doubling the annual Dh41.2 billion ($11.2bn) spent on domestic tourism and encourage staycations by 2030.

A video posted by Sheikh Mohammed to social media at the launch of the push showcased the breadth of activities available across the country, from boating to hiking to dune-bashing.

"We ... launched a unified tourism identity to promote the UAE as a single tourist destination that shares the same national economy and provides equal opportunities for UAE youth," said Sheikh Mohammed.

"Working as a single Emirati team in the tourism sector will have good effects on all regions and strengthen our global reputation as one destination, diverse and rich."

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The Sinopharm vaccine was created using techniques that have been around for decades. 

“This is an inactivated vaccine. Simply what it means is that the virus is taken, cultured and inactivated," said Dr Nawal Al Kaabi, chair of the UAE's National Covid-19 Clinical Management Committee.

"What is left is a skeleton of the virus so it looks like a virus, but it is not live."

This is then injected into the body.

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The vaccine should offer protection for at least months, but no one knows how long beyond that.

Dr Al Kaabi said early vaccine volunteers in China were given shots last spring and still have antibodies today.

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1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years

If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.

2. E-invoicing in the UAE

Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption. 

3. More tax audits

Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks. 

4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime

Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.

5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit

There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.

6. Further transfer pricing enforcement

Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes. 

7. Limited time periods for audits

Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion. 

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Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.

9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services

Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations. 

10. Substance and CbC reporting focus

Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity. 

Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer

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