Abu Dhabi, May 30 (IANS/WAM): Hotel guests in Abu Dhabi will start paying a municipal fee of four percent of their hotel bill and an additional charge per night starting from June 1,

The Department of Municipal Affairs and Transport and Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority (TCA Abu Dhabi) made the announcement on Sunday.

The TCA Abu Dhabi has formally notified hotels and tourist facilities of the decision. It stressed the importance of separating municipal fees from tourist fees in all financial records so as to ensure that such fees are accounted for separately in all bills and financial statements.

The TCA Abu Dhabi will soon hold workshops to introduce the municipal fee collection and deposit mechanisms.

Levying the new fees is in line with charges imposed on hotel guests in other destinations in the region and is standard practice in the hospitality services sector worldwide, the department said.

The municipality will use the collected fees to boost the sustainable development of Abu Dhabi's tourism infrastructure and enhance the services offered to hotel guests and customers.