Table of Contents
How to Start a Provision of Accommodation in Campgrounds for Short Stay Visitors Business in Dubai with Meydan Free Zone
The campground is the oldest and most accessible form of organised short-stay outdoor accommodation. It is the tent pitch beside the wadi, the fire pit at the mountain campsite, the designated slot at a lakeside reserve with a barbecue station and shared toilets. It is not a glamping dome or an Airstream trailer, it is the infrastructure that allows a visitor to arrive with their own equipment and stay safely and comfortably in an outdoor setting. The global camping market was valued at USD 49.60 billion in 2025 and is projected to reach USD 77.93 billion by 2030 at a CAGR of 9.46%, according to Statista¹. The pitch and campsite rental segment, which most closely corresponds to the core campground provision model of this activity code, accounts for 61.7% of global camping and caravanning market revenue in 2025, the largest single revenue segment in the sector, according to Grand View Research².
The UAE’s campground infrastructure spans its most diverse and ecologically distinctive terrain. In Hatta, the Dubai government’s VisitHatta platform operates the Hatta Campsite as a formal designated campground: allocated slots each including a fire pit, BBQ station, outdoor seating, and car parking, maximum five people per slot, with food trucks nearby at Hatta Wadi Hub. In Abu Dhabi, Al Wathba Lake Camp provides 13 designated lakeside campsites with 24 picnic sites, cycling, volleyball, and playground facilities, one of the most developed public campground networks in the country. In Ras Al Khaimah, Time Out reported in April 2025 that free camping is permitted across public land with no current regulations on where visitors may pitch tents or caravans, subject only to avoiding private property.
The ISIC class also encompasses recreational, fishing, hunting, and family vacation camps, activity-oriented campsite formats where visitor accommodation is provided alongside programmed outdoor activities. The recreational and vacation camp market was valued at USD 32.1 billion in 2024 and is projected to reach USD 45.8 billion by 2030 at a CAGR of 5.9%, according to Deep Market Insights³. Dubai’s Desert Conservation Reserve offers guided overnight camping experiences from AED 1,160 per adult within a protected wilderness zone. The code also covers the most fundamental outdoor accommodation format: plain protective shelters and bivouac facilities for placing tents or sleeping bags, including mountain hiker shelters and wadi rest points. No third-party pre-approval is required.
Who is this for?
| Audience Segment | Profile |
|---|---|
| Designated camping ground and pitch operators | Operators of designated camping grounds and organised campsite facilities providing allocated tent pitches, caravan slots, shared sanitation, and campsite infrastructure for short-stay visitors arriving with their own tents, sleeping bags, or camping equipment. |
| Recreational, fishing and family camp operators | Operators of recreational and activity-oriented camps for short-stay visitors, including fishing camps, hunting camps, family vacation camps, children’s recreational camps, and summer retreats providing organised outdoor accommodation, activity programming, and communal campsite facilities. |
| Protective shelter and bivouac facility operators | Operators of basic outdoor shelter facilities including protective shelters, mountain bivouac stations, wadi resting points, and plain overnight facilities for placing tents or sleeping bags, providing the most fundamental form of short-stay outdoor accommodation for hikers, trekkers, and wilderness visitors. |
5520.01 - Provision of Accommodation in Campgrounds for Short Stay Visitors
| Category | Scope |
|---|---|
| Designated camping grounds and pitch operations | Designated camping ground and pitch operations for short-stay visitors Operation of a designated camping ground or organised campsite providing allocated tent pitches, fire pits, barbecue stations, shared sanitation facilities, and campsite infrastructure for short-stay visitors arriving with their own tents, camping equipment, and personal sleeping gear. |
| Recreational, fishing and family camps | Recreational camp and activity camp operations for short-stay visitors Operation of a recreational or activity-oriented camp providing short-stay accommodation and outdoor activity programming for visitors, including fishing camps, hunting camps, family vacation camps, children’s recreational camps, nature camps, and outdoor education retreats. |
| Protective shelters and bivouac facilities | Protective shelter and bivouac facility operations Operation of basic outdoor protective shelter facilities, mountain bivouac stations, wadi rest points, or plain overnight facilities for placing tents or sleeping bags, providing fundamental short-stay outdoor accommodation for hikers, trekkers, mountain visitors, and wilderness travellers. |
Code 5520.01 covers the provision of campground pitches, recreational camp accommodation, and basic outdoor shelters for short-stay visitors. It does not cover furnished glamping accommodation in domes, pods, or luxury tents (which may fall under 5520.02 or related codes); RV parks and trailer parks providing vehicle pitches with utility hookups (5520.02); hotels and guesthouses within the 5510.xx group; or the provision of accommodation on a monthly or annual basis for permanent residential use (ISIC 6820). It also does not cover outdoor adventure activity services without an overnight accommodation component (ISIC division 93), or the manufacture and sale of camping equipment (ISIC divisions 45–47). Operators must comply with applicable UAE land use, environmental, and site-specific regulations for the campground location.
In short: if you provide campground pitches, recreational camp accommodation, or basic outdoor shelter for short-stay visitors, and no third-party pre-approval is required, you are in. If you provide furnished glamping accommodation, RV parks, or indoor hotel accommodation, you are not under this specific code.
Third-Party Approval
Provision of Accommodation in Campgrounds for Short Stay Visitors does not require pre-approval from any third-party regulatory authority as a condition of the Meydan Free Zone licence, and the licence may be issued directly without external sign-off before commencing campground or outdoor accommodation operations.
Anti-Money Laundering Compliance
Provision of Accommodation in Campgrounds for Short Stay Visitors is not classified as a Designated Non-Financial Business or Profession (DNFBP) under UAE anti-money laundering legislation, and businesses operating under this activity code are not subject to AML registration or reporting obligations specific to this licence category.
References
- ¹ Statista, Camping, Worldwide Market Forecast 2025–2030 - https://www.statista.com/outlook/mmo/travel-tourism/camping/worldwide
- ² Grand View Research, Camping and Caravanning Market Size, Share and Trends 2033 - https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/camping-and-caravanning-market-report
- ³ Deep Market Insights, Recreational and Vacation Camp Market Research Report - https://deepmarketinsights.com/report/recreational-and-vacation-camp-market-research-report
- ⁴ VisitHatta, Hatta Campsite, Scenic Camping and Outdoor Adventure - https://www.visithatta.com/en/stay/hatta-camp-site
- ⁵ Time Out Ras Al Khaimah, The Ultimate Guide to Camping in Ras Al Khaimah - https://www.timeoutrasalkhaimah.com/things-to-do/camping-in-ras-al-khaimah
