The hotels across Dubai will start collecting 'tourism dirham', a new fee imposed on guests staying at hotels and hotel apartments in the emirate per room per night, said a report.

The fee, which was announced by the Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) in January, takes effect from today (March 31), reported the Gulf News.

A fee of Dh20 ($5.4) is being charged by 5-star hotels, while for 4-star hotels it will be Dh15, for both two and three-star hotels it's Dh10 and for one-star or budget hotels, Dh7, stated the report.

Hawthorn Suites by Wyndham is charging guests Dh10 per room per night, while Ramada Downtown Dubai is charging Dh20, it added. These hotels will collect the fee and pass it on to DTCM.

“The revenues raised from the tourism dirham will be used to fund the development of the emirate’s tourism and trade sectors, which includes investment into both enhancing the destination offering and into marketing,” Issam Abdul Rahim Kazim, CEO of Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DCTCM), a new affiliate of DTCM, was quoted as saying in the report.