Mon, 16 Oct 2017 13:22:29 +0000
By Mailesi Banda
GOVERNMENT’S focus on developing new tourism sites across the country, introducing a single licensing system for investment and the removal of unnecessary bureaucracy will assist in the broadening of the tourism industry, Private Sector Development Association, chairperson, Yusuf Dodia has said.
Mr. Dodia said the tourism industry had vast potential to contribute to the economic growth of the country adding that with a conducive operating environment, the sector could increase its contribution to the country’s Gross Domestic Product, (GDP).
Speaking in an interview with the Daily Nation, he said there was need for the Government to consider investing more in infrastructure development to enable tourist’s access destinations.
Mr. Dodia said more investment into the marketing of tourism products and investment was needed if the sector was to attain the much-needed growth to contribute to economic growth.
“The government’s focus on the development of new tourism sites and the introduction of the single licensing system for investment will broaden the tourism sector in 2018,”he said.
He further said the tourism sector was promising if the plans the Government had made for the sector in the 2018 national Budget were followed adding that while the government had put in place measures to support the sector, the challenge rested on the private sector to embrace the measures
The minister of finance in his budget address to Parliament said to reduce the cost of doing business and unnecessary bureaucracies in the tourism sector, Government would together with the Business Regulatory Review Agency establish and operationalise a single licensing system.
The minister said Government would also work through an integrated approach, and priorities major roads, bridges and air strips leading to tourism destinations.
He further said the Government would facilitate development of requisite infrastructure to ease access to tourist sites, rehabilitate heritage sites and strengthen wildlife protection.
The single licensing system is a mode of tourism investment registration that allows investors to get all the required documents of registration from one institution.
