By Masimba Gomo
Zimbabwe has approved a comprehensive review of levies, licences, and permits affecting the tourism sector ,a move expected to ease the regulatory burden on operators and boost competitiveness.
The decision, announced during the 25th post-Cabinet briefing on Tuesday, forms part of ongoing ease-of-doing-business reforms aimed at reducing costs and streamlining regulations across key economic sectors.
Tourism, particularly accommodation, hospitality, tour operations, boating, and vehicle rental services, has been operating under what the Cabinet described as a “choking regulatory environment.”
A consultative process with industry stakeholders exposed a complex web of overlapping and duplicative requirements, which many operators said had made their businesses unsustainable.
To address this, the Cabinet has ordered the removal of unjustifiable licences and permits, the reduction of excessive fees, and the streamlining of overlapping regulations.
The revised framework will be subjected to further refinements before full implementation.
Importantly the review introduces a broad spectrum of reductions, with other fees being cut by 25 to 50% and some scrapped off completely.
The tourism sector is a key pillar of the national economy, contributing substantially to employment, foreign currency earnings, and overall development.
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