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.
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 below dollar amounts are in USD, unless otherwise specified.
Restaurants and bars
In the UAE, Qatar, Jordan and Saudi Arabia, servers in restaurants will expect a 10 to 15% tip at the end of a meal. Even in Dubai, where the government mandates 10% being added to bills at restaurants, hotels and bars, waitstaff will still expect a tip of up to 15%, or even 20%.
Hotel staff
Dubai’s government-mandated 10% service charge at hotels means that tipping is primarily reserved for those who are feeling particularly flashy. In the rest of the UAE, concierges expect a tip for significant requests, like securing a table at a popular restaurant or organizing a tour – between 110 and 130 dirhams should suffice. Tip porters around 7 dirhams per bag, and housekeeping staff around 10 to 11 dirhams per day.
In other popular Middle Eastern holiday destinations including Jordan, tip the local currency equivalent of $1.50 per bag (JD1 in Jordan) for porters, the same per day for housekeeping, and around $2 to the concierge for small favors if you require them.
Tour guides
In Dubai, the rest of the UAE and Qatar, tipping a tour guide or a private driver 10% of the booked service is a good way to go. After an excursion in other popular tourist countries in the Middle East, including Jordan, a slightly larger tip of between $25 to $35 (in local currency) for guides and $35 to $45 for driver guides is appropriate according to service, though 10% is often expected.
Taxi drivers
Dubai taxi drivers don’t expect tips, but round up the fare if you’re feeling generous. In most other Middle Eastern countries, including the rest of the UAE, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, tip taxi drivers around 10 to 15% of the overall fare. In Jordan, round up to the nearest dinar.
How much should you leave when visiting a mosque or a temple?
There isn’t really a hard-and-fast rule here, but try leaving the local currency equivalent of $1 to the person handing out robes and scarves to women, and 50 cents to the person who minds the shoes if there is one.
When should you give baksheesh?
When traveling in the Middle East and South Asia, you will often be asked for “baksheesh.” The term often applies to a simple gratuity or service charge but can refer to all kinds of financial tokens of appreciation. If someone asks you for baksheesh without providing a service, this is considered begging, and so giving money is completely at your discretion, although not usually advisable. Baksheesh can be politely asked for by those who have provided a service, but it can be refused at any time and – like almost all tipping customs – is not mandatory, whatever you may be led to believe.