Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company (ADNEC) announced it has obtained the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) License for waiver from Value Added Tax (VAT) for all international companies and organisations participating in or holding shows and conferences at its venues across the UAE with effect from 1 June.

The VAT waiver covers exhibitions and conferences held over a period not exceeding seven days. The waiver also stipulates that recipients shall not have a permanent base or established business in the UAE and shall not be registered or obliged to register in UAE as per the UAE VAT Law.

“This move supports our strategy to attract new and world-renowned events to our venues.”

Speaking about the development, Humaid Matar Al Dhaheri, group CEO, ADNEC, said, “The VAT waiver for ADNEC-hosted event organisers and participants will further stimulate the business tourism sector in the UAE through enhancing the competitiveness of our venues to host major international exhibitions and conferences. This move supports our strategy to attract new and world-renowned events to our venues and increase our direct and indirect contributions to the Abu Dhabi economy.”

The business tourism sector is a major contributor identified by Plan Abu Dhabi and Abu Dhabi Economic Vision 2030 to accelerate non-oil GDP growth. Through hosting more than 3,390 events and welcoming nearly 17.5 million visitors to date, the venues – Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Centre and Al Ain Convention Centre – have delivered a direct and indirect economic impact of more than AED32 billion since ADNEC’s inception in 2005, he added.