Travel businesses sell something they do not control. The hotel, the airline and the ground operator each perform independently, but the customer holds the agency responsible for all of it.
Dubai Legal Expert advises travel agencies, tour operators, destination management companies and travel platforms across the UAE on licensing, liability, supplier contracts and consumer matters.
Travel and tourism activity is licensed by the tourism regulator, with separate categories for inbound, outbound and tour operation. Operating outside the licensed category, or offering services the licence does not cover, is a regulatory issue independent of any customer complaint.
The commercial risk sits in the gap between what the agency promises the customer and what its suppliers actually commit to. Where the supplier contract contains no commitment on the thing the customer was promised, the agency carries that exposure alone.
Licence categories, scope, permits and responses to regulatory queries and findings.
Customer terms covering cancellation, changes, liability, force majeure and refunds.
Hotel, transport, ground operator and DMC agreements with allocation matching customer promises.
Online travel agency and platform agreements including commission, liability and data terms.
Complaint handling, refund disputes and responses to regulatory consumer escalations.
Confirming the licence covers the activity actually being sold, which is checked more often than operators expect.
Cancellation, change, refund and liability terms drafted for the actual product and the applicable rules.
Supplier commitments aligned with what the customer was promised, so exposure does not sit with you alone.
OTA and platform agreements reviewed for commission base, liability, data and rate parity terms.
Force majeure and disruption provisions drafted from experience of how these events actually unfold.
Complaint processes that resolve issues before they become regulatory escalations.
An agency promises a customer a specific room category, a guaranteed transfer time and a named excursion. Its contracts with the hotel, the transport company and the excursion operator contain none of those commitments in binding form.
When the promise fails, the agency refunds the customer and has no recourse against the supplier. Aligning supplier commitments with customer promises closes that gap, and it is the most valuable review a travel business can commission.
A structured route from review through documentation to dispute support.
We establish what is sold, through which channels, and whether the licence covers it.
Customer booking terms are drafted for the actual product and the applicable consumer rules.
Supplier agreements are reviewed and renegotiated to match what customers are promised.
OTA and platform agreements are reviewed for commission, liability, data and parity terms.
Complaint handling and refund procedures are established to resolve issues early.
Responses to regulatory queries, findings and consumer escalations are handled formally.
Travel and tourism activity is licensed by the tourism regulator, with separate categories covering inbound, outbound and tour operation.
Customers generally hold the agency responsible, so the exposure depends on whether your supplier contracts contain matching commitments.
Cancellation and change rights, refund treatment, liability allocation, force majeure and the process for complaints.
Commission base, liability allocation, ownership and use of customer data, rate parity obligations and termination.
Through a documented policy consistent with consumer protection requirements and with what the booking terms actually say.
Services relating to visa processing are subject to their own requirements, and the licence scope should be confirmed for the activity offered.
Aligning supplier commitments with customer promises is the highest value review in this sector. The first consultation is free.
Dubai Legal Experts provides trusted legal advocacy across the UAE with experienced lawyers and clear legal guidance.
