Dubai eGovernment expands ePay scope by signing agreement with DTCM to provide ePay services to tourist sector

Dubai eGovernment expands ePay scope by signing agreement with DTCM to provide ePay services to tourist sector

October 20, 2012

As part of its efforts to facilitate the transactions of the public in obtaining government services in a speedy, secure and reliable manner, Dubai eGovernment announced the signing of a new joint agreement for ePay with the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) for settling the fees of the tourist sector.

The agreement was signed by H.E.Ahmad Bin Humaidan, Director General of Dubai eGovernment Department, and H.E. Khalid Ahmed Bin Sulayem, Director General of DTCM, in the presence of a number of officials from both sides on the sidelines of the 32^nd edition of Gitex Technology Week 2012.

The joining of DTCM to the ePay gateway currently allows online payment of the fees of two services: Tourist guide training management system and hotel classification.  This will open new prospects for facilitating the implementation of the services related to the tourist sector in Dubai by facilitating the payment of the fees of these services, either through credit cards or direct debit from the customer’s account with the banks participating in the portal; namely, Dubai Islamic Bank, Commercial Bank of Dubai, Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank, Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank and Union National Bank. This brings to 27 the number of government entities using ePay and helps consolidate the portfolio of eServices numbering over 250 services approved for online payment, which are aimed at providing more convenient options to individual and corporate customers for instant online payment of government fees in line with Dubai eGovernment’s Customer First strategy.

H.E. Ahmad Bin Humaidan, Director General of Dubai eGovernment Department, said: “We are pleased to co-operate again with the DTCM as this joint agreement consolidates integration and the connected government concept among government departments. This is an indicator of the growing adoption of the portal year after year, which contributes to increasing the customers’ trust in the efficiency and security of eServices and supporting the use of the ePay portal for paying the fees of government transactions.

H.E. Khalid Ahmed Bin Sulayem, Director-General of DTCM said: “We always seeking to develop our services and facilitate transactions with our customers, thereby saving their time and effort by using the latest technologies within the framework of developing the tourist products in Dubai in general.”

Bin Sulayem added: “Joining the ePay portal is a significant step for us to streamline our contribution to consolidating the eServices available in the emirate and making procedures easy for customers. Our keenness on participating in Gitex comes as part of our bid to support Dubai eGovernment’s vision based on easing government transactions.”

Bin Humaidan pointed out that the amounts collected through the ePay portal rose by 23 per cent to over AED 3.2 billion through 2.45 million transactions over the first nine months of this year compared with AED 2.6 billion through 2.054 million transactions in the same period last year, up by 19 per cent in terms of number of transactions.

Bin Humaidan added: “This agreement gains special importance because it provides an ideal platform for a connected government, through a network of online services that match the highest quality and excellence criteria in line with the vision of HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, for achieving government integration and easing the lives of the public interacting with the government.”