Tipping Customs in the Middle East
Tipping is an elusive custom that seems to change its rules across the globe. What is deemed a generous token of appreciation in some countries can offend the subtle cultural sensibilities of others. However, when it comes to the Middle East, tipping is generally customary across the region.
How much you tip largely depends on the country you’re in and the service being provided. Due to always-changing conversion rates, the dollar amounts mentioned are in USD, unless otherwise specified.
Restaurants and Bars
In the UAE, Qatar, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia, servers in restaurants typically expect a 10 to 15% tip at the end of a meal. For instance, in Dubai, where the government mandates a 10% service charge added to bills, waitstaff will still expect an additional tip of up to 15% or even 20% for exceptional service.
Hotel Staff
Dubai’s mandated 10% service charge at hotels indicates that tipping is mostly reserved for those who wish to express extra appreciation. In the rest of the UAE, concierges appreciate tips for significant requests, such as securing a table at a popular restaurant or organizing a tour. A tip between 110 and 130 dirhams is advisable. Additionally, consider tipping porters around 7 dirhams per bag and housekeeping staff about 10 to 11 dirhams per day.
In other Middle Eastern holiday destinations like Jordan, a local currency equivalent of $1.50 per bag (about JD1 in Jordan) is appropriate for porters, the same amount for housekeeping per day, and around $2 for the concierge for minor favors if needed.
Tour Guides
Tipping a tour guide or a private driver around 10% of the booked service in Dubai, the UAE, and Qatar is recommended. After excursions in Jordan and other popular tourist countries in the Middle East, larger tips ranging from $25 to $35 for guides and $35 to $45 for driver guides based on service quality are considered courteous, although 10% is often the minimum expectation.
Taxi Drivers
Dubai taxi drivers generally don’t expect tips; however, rounding up the fare is appreciated if you’re feeling generous. In most other Middle Eastern countries, including the rest of the UAE, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia, it is customary to tip taxi drivers approximately 10 to 15% of the overall fare. In Jordan, rounding up to the nearest dinar is suitable.
Tipping at Mosques or Temples
When visiting a mosque or temple, there isn’t a strict guideline; nonetheless, leaving the local currency equivalent of $1 to the person distributing robes and scarves to women and about 50 cents to the individual looking after shoes is customary.
Baksheesh: Understanding the Term
When traveling in the Middle East, you may often hear the term “baksheesh.” This term usually refers to a simple gratuity or service charge, but it can encompass various financial tokens of appreciation. If someone solicits baksheesh without providing a service, it is regarded as begging, and giving money is entirely at your discretion, though often not advisable. Baksheesh can be requested by those who have provided a service, but remember that it can be refused at any time, making it clear that tipping customs, while common, are not mandatory.
